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Transforming the understanding
and treatment of mental illnesses.

Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity Webinar Series: Understanding Stigma and Discrimination as Drivers of Mental Health Disparities for Diverse, Rural, LGBTQ+ Communities

Date

August 22, 2024

Location

Virtual

Overview

This webinar presented the goals and procedures of the Rural Engagement and Approaches For LGBTQ+ Mental Health (REALM)  study, which is developing a longitudinal cohort of diverse LGBTQ+ adults residing in rural and small metropolitan communities across the United States.

Employing a minority stress framework, REALM aims to determine the following: whether types of stigma, discrimination, and traumatic experiences vary across LGBTQ+ groups; how these exposures are associated with increased prevalence and incidence of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts; and if and how proximal minority stress-related factors mediate and/or moderate these associations. Further, building on these findings, REALM will compare the relative acceptability of various technology-delivered intervention components for depression and suicide prevention for diverse rural LGBTQ+ communities.

Challenges with online recruitment and enrollment and creative solutions were shared, in addition to lessons learned in how to ensure participant safety. The webinar ended with a description of the cohort to date and shared preliminary baseline findings related to study aims.

Recording

Read the transcript.

More information

About the Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity Webinar Series

The Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity Webinar Series is designed for investigators conducting or interested in conducting research on mental health disparities, women’s mental health, minority mental health, and rural mental health.

Sponsored by

National Institute of Mental Health, Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity