Southern TENNacity: An Open Pilot of LGBTQ-Affirmative CBT Adapted for Young Black and Latino/x Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men in the US South
Southern TENNacity: An Open Pilot of LGBTQ-Affirmative CBT Adapted for Young Black and Latino/x Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men in the US South
This open pilot involves testing the acceptability and feasibility of an intersectional, culturally responsive health intervention by piloting it among young Black and Latino/x gay, bisexual, and queer (GBQ+) men residing in Middle Tennessee. Qualitative exit interviews will be conducted to provide information regarding intervention feasibility, acceptability, and refinement; changes in primary and secondary study outcomes will help assess efficacy potential. Effective Skills to Empower Effective Men (ESTEEM), has been shown to decrease negative mental health symptomology and HIV risk behavior among a racially diverse sample of young GBQ+ men. This study would inform the cultural adaptation of ESTEEM to fit the unique and intersectional experiences of Black and Latino/x GBQ+ men living in the South, and in particular within Middle TN. The adaptation and group pilot stands to significantly improve stigma coping and the mental/sexual health of Black and Latino/x GBQ+ men in Middle TN-and in turn impact the HIV burden in the Southern US.
These research activities seek to further the reach and cultural-appropriateness of a clinically effective evidence-based intervention (ESTEEM) by further adapting ESTEEM-conneCT (a group-based treatment designed for gay and bisexual men of color in Fair Haven, CT) for young Black and Latino/x GBM residing in Middle Tennessee. The intervention study will take place in Nashville, TN with a partnership between the Nashville CARES and the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH). This pilot will guide further refinement, identify facilitators and barriers to scaling up, and yield effect size estimates for powering future studies.
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Exclusion Criteria: