L or G or B or T: Matching Sexual and Gender Minorities with Subpopulation-Specific Interventions

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) face unique stigma experiences.
• Tailored psychological interventions can address specific SGM subpopulation needs.
• Lack of clear guidelines complicates participant selection for SGM interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a matching procedure for placing SGM participants into targeted online interventions.
• To assess the efficacy, satisfaction, and feasibility of subpopulation-specific interventions for reducing internalized stigma.
• To provide practical guidelines for future SGM intervention research.

Main Methods:

• Developed and implemented a matching procedure for 1183 SGM participants.
• Assigned participants to four distinct online interventions targeting internalized stigma.
• Evaluated participant attrition, intervention efficacy, placement satisfaction, and qualitative feedback.

Main Results:

• The matching procedure was time-efficient and successful.
• Low attrition rates and high participant satisfaction were observed.
• The procedure effectively reached diverse SGM segments beyond traditional LGBT acronym.

Conclusions:

• The developed matching procedure is a viable and effective method for SGM intervention research.
• Recommendations for participant inclusion/exclusion processes in SGM studies are provided.
• Future research can utilize these guidelines to enhance the reach and effectiveness of SGM interventions.