Home › Depression › NCT05897021

Expressive Writing on Minority Stressors Among Sexual Minority Veterans

Expressive Writing to Reduce Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Veterans

Who can join

Ages 18 and older · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

Participants will be Veterans who:

* identify as a sexual minority (i.e., identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, queer, or another identity other than heterosexual)
* endorse clinically significant depressive or anxiety symptoms (score above 10 on the PHQ-9 or GAD-7)
* report a history of sexuality-based minority stressor exposure that is contributing to distress on phone screening
* be stable on psychotropic medication for at least 4 weeks if on a psychotropic medication

Exclusion Criteria:

The exclusion criteria for Veterans in this study are:

* clear and current suicidal plan and/or intent (assessed via the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale)
* current presentation of unstable mania and/or psychosis (assessed via the Structured Interview for DSM-5)
* current substance use disorder, severe (assessed via the Structured Interview for DSM-5)
* significant cognitive impairment, including evidence of moderate or severe traumatic brain injury, determined by an inability to comprehend baseline screening questionnaires

About the study

Sexual minority stressors (e.g., sexual minority identity-based discrimination) contribute to greater risk for and severity of depression, anxiety, substance use disorders and suicide among sexual minority Veterans. However, no brief, scalable, one-on-one interventions targeting sexual minority stressor-related distress are available in Veterans Affairs (VA) for sexual minority Veterans. The proposed research will examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a brief, 3-session expressive writing intervention to target distress related to sexual minority stressor exposure among sexual minority Veterans. The results of this work will advance knowledge about a promising brief and easy to implement intervention focused on reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms among sexual minority Veterans. This proposal aligns with VA's and CSR\&D's commitment to providing equitable services to sexual minority Veterans and the aim of reducing health disparities among underserved Veteran groups.

What is being tested

• Expressive Writing on Minority Stressors (behavioral)
• Neutral Writing (behavioral)

Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development · Participants: 85 · Started: Mar 20, 2024

Contact the study team

• Kelly L Harper, PhD · Phone: (857) 364-4417
• Brian P Marx, PhD · Phone: (857) 364-6071

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT05897021

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Depression
• Anxiety

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.