Minority StressMSTNCT06614868
Minority Stress Counseling for LGBTQ+ Individuals
A study testing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Treatment as Usual (TAU) in people with Minority Stress, run by University of Alabama at Birmingham at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+ (LGBTQ+) individuals experience a breadth of mental health disparities. Reducing these disparities is an area of key psychological research. Minority stress is theorized to be an underlying source of the disparities (Meyer, 2003). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Minority Stress
- What is being tested?
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Treatment as Usual (TAU)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 Jan 2025to 15 Aug 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Must identify as non-heterosexual
Who cannot join
- Suicide attempt within the past 12 months.
- Current eating disorder.
- Narcotics use within the past 3 months
- Non-suicidal self-injury within the past 6 months.
- Current/History of psychosis
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, 35294
Nicholas Borgogna, PhD, 435258961, borgogna@uab.edu
Nicholas Borgogna
About this study
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+ (LGBTQ+) individuals experience a breadth of mental health disparities. Reducing these disparities is an area of key psychological research. Minority stress is theorized to be an underlying source of the disparities (Meyer, 2003). Minority stress can be conceptualized as the internalized stigma that results from experiences of social marginalization. By reducing minority stress, it is hypothesized that generalized mental illness indicators might be reduced and indicators of wellbeing increased.
Read the detailed description
Adult participants will respond to advertisements by emailing a research assistant.
A research assistant will then arrange for a pre-screening interview to ensure inclusion criteria are met.
A research assistant will review informed consent and receive a signed informed consent during the pre-screening.
Participants who are accepted into the study will then be offered up to 12 sessions of ACT or receive an unstructured treatment as usual counseling condition delivered by graduate students in the UAB medical/clinical psychology program under the supervision of Dr. Borgogna. These sessions will be 45 minutes each and delivered in Dr. Borgogna's lab. During the first sessions a survey battery will be administered on a lab secure computer administered via Qualtrics. It will be re-administered at session six, and during the last session.
The survey will include a broad base of demographic, mental health, and minority stress measures.
Participants will be assigned a random number that will link their survey responses across sessions. Identifying information will not be gathered as part of data collection.
- Conditions
- Minority Stress
- Being tested
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Treatment as Usual (TAU)
- Keywords
- Minority Stress, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Acceptance and Commitment TherapyBehavioural
Up to 16 session of unstructured counseling therapy informed by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy tradition.
Treatment as Usual (TAU)Behavioural
Unstructured counseling
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment Group | Experimental | Participants receiving acceptance and commitment therapy Receives: Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy |
| Treatment as usual | Active comparator | Unstructured counseling intervention Receives: Behavioral: Treatment as Usual (TAU) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Depression
Patient Health Questionnaire-9
Measured: 12 weeks
Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7
Measured: 12 Weeks
Post Traumatic Stress
Patient Checklist-5
Measured: 12 Weeks
Internalized Heterosexism
Internalized Homophobia Scale
Measured: 12 Weeks
Discrimination
Daily Heterosexist Questionnaire
Measured: 12 Weeks
Alcohol Problems
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
Measured: 16 Weeks
Secondary outcomes (4)
Experiential Avoidance
Experiential Avoidance Rating Scale
Measured: 16 Weeks
Affect
Positive Negative Affect Schedule
Measured: 16 Weeks
Problematic Pornography Use
Brief Pornography Screen
Measured: 12 Weeks
Life Quality
Quality of Life Scale
Measured: 12 Weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Sep 2024
- Study start15 Jan 2025
- Primary completion1 Aug 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion15 Aug 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Minority StressStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of Alabama at BirminghamThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Randomized control trial
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Nicholas C. Borgogna, University of Alabama at Birmingham
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06614868
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB-300013570
- Other IDs
- NBLAB1
- Acronym
- MST
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 24 Sep 2024
- Last updated
- 31 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: deidentified data will be shared upon request
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 31 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Minority Stress Counseling for LGBTQ+ Individuals
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06614868
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MST / IRB-300013570
- Conditions
- Minority Stress
- Keywords
- Minority Stress, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Alabama at BirminghamUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Jan 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Aug 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 15 Aug 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 26 Sep 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+ (LGBTQ+) individuals experience a breadth of mental health disparities. Reducing these disparities is an area of key psychological research. Minority stress is theorized to be an underlying source of the disparities (Meyer, 2003). Minority stress can be conceptualized as the internalized stigma that results from experiences of social marginalization. By reducing minority stress, it is hypothesized that generalized mental illness indicators might be reduced and indicators of wellbeing increased.
Detailed description
Adult participants will respond to advertisements by emailing a research assistant.
A research assistant will then arrange for a pre-screening interview to ensure inclusion criteria are met.
A research assistant will review informed consent and receive a signed informed consent during the pre-screening.
Participants who are accepted into the study will then be offered up to 12 sessions of ACT or receive an unstructured treatment as usual counseling condition delivered by graduate students in the UAB medical/clinical psychology program under the supervision of Dr. Borgogna. These sessions will be 45 minutes each and delivered in Dr. Borgogna's lab. During the first sessions a survey battery will be administered on a lab secure computer administered via Qualtrics. It will be re-administered at session six, and during the last session.
The survey will include a broad base of demographic, mental health, and minority stress measures.
Participants will be assigned a random number that will link their survey responses across sessions. Identifying information will not be gathered as part of data collection.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Randomized control trial
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment TherapyParticipants receiving acceptance and commitment therapy |
| Treatment as usual | Active comparator | Behavioral: Treatment as Usual (TAU)Unstructured counseling intervention |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Must identify as non-heterosexual
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Suicide attempt within the past 12 months.
- Current eating disorder.
- Narcotics use within the past 3 months
- Non-suicidal self-injury within the past 6 months.
- Current/History of psychosis
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance and Commitment TherapyUp to 16 session of unstructured counseling therapy informed by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy tradition. | Behavioural | Treatment Group |
| Treatment as Usual (TAU)Unstructured counseling | Behavioural | Treatment as usual |
Primary outcome
Depression
Time frame: 12 weeks
Patient Health Questionnaire-9
Anxiety
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7
Post Traumatic Stress
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Patient Checklist-5
Internalized Heterosexism
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Internalized Homophobia Scale
Discrimination
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Daily Heterosexist Questionnaire
Alcohol Problems
Time frame: 16 Weeks
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
4 secondary outcomes
Experiential Avoidance
Time frame: 16 Weeks
Affect
Time frame: 16 Weeks
Problematic Pornography Use
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Life Quality
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 31 Aug 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. deidentified data will be shared upon request
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Treatment as Usual (TAU) in people with Minority Stress, run by University of Alabama at Birmingham at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 31 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Nicholas Borgogna (Assistant Professor), PhD (7579693677, borgogna@uab.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Depression (time frame: 12 weeks). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 31 Aug 2026.