Pride in all Who Served: Development, Feasibility, and Initial Efficacy of a Health Education Group For LGBT Veterans

Many of the more than 1 million military veterans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) have encountered "rejecting experiences in the military" and stigma from prior "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policies. Associated minority stress and social isolation have been linked to a disproportionate risk for depression and suicide, as well as a reluctance to seek medical care at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities. This paper describes feasibility and preliminary outcomes of the newly developed, Pride in All Who Served Health Education Group created to meet the unique needs of sexual and gender minority veterans. The 10-week, closed, health education group (e.g., continuums of identity, military culture) enables open dialogue, fosters social connectedness, and empowers veterans to be more effective self-advocates within the healthcare system. Feedback from formative evaluations (n = 29 LGBT veterans and n = 25 VHA stakeholders) was incorporated before conducting a small scale, non-randomized pilot. Preliminary pre-post surveys (n = 18) show promise (i.e., Cohen's d range ± 0.40 to 1.59) on mental health symptoms (depression/anxiety, suicidal ideation), resilience indicators (identity affirmation, community involvement, problem-focused coping), and willingness to access care within the VA system (satisfaction with VA services, perception of staff competence). Results suggest that the 10-week Pride Group may be an effective tool for addressing minority-related stress in LGBT veterans. A full-scale, randomized clinical trial of this intervention is needed to determine short and long-term impacts on clinical and healthcare access-related outcomes.