Promoting the sexual self‑efficacy of sexual and gender minority youth through a group intervention
Craig, S. L., Yang, W., & Austin, A. (2020). Promoting the sexual self-efficacy of sexual and gender minority youth through a group intervention. Groupwork, 28(2), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.1921/gpwk.v29i2.1213
Background
Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) face significant sexual health risks, including higher rates of STIs and HIV compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers
Contributing factors include stigma, discrimination, social exclusion, and minority stress, which exacerbate risky sexual behaviors and poor mental health.
Interventions targeting SGMY often focus on knowledge dissemination, but there is limited research on improving sexual self-efficacy among this group.
Sexual self-efficacy, defined as confidence in one's ability to manage sexual contexts, includes two components: protection self-efficacy and abstinence self-efficacy.
Study Description
The study evaluated the impact of an eight-session affirmative group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention (AFFIRM) on sexual self-efficacy in SGMY aged 15–18.
Participants (n=30) were recruited through community agencies and online sources.
The AFFIRM program incorporated discussions, skill-building activities, and a sexual safety planning exercise to enhance participants' coping skills and self-efficacy.
Pre- and post-intervention measures assessed sexual self-efficacy (protection and abstinence).
Unique Findings
Protection sexual self-efficacy: Showed a statistically significant increase after the intervention (p < 0.001) with a large effect size (r2 = .366).
Abstinence sexual self-efficacy: While mean scores improved slightly, the increase was not statistically significant.
The intervention was tailored to the unique needs of SGMY by addressing minority stress and fostering resilience through affirmative approaches.
Conclusions
The AFFIRM intervention demonstrated promise in improving protection sexual self-efficacy among SGMY, suggesting it could be an effective method for promoting sexual health.
The group-based affirmative CBT format facilitated peer support, mutual learning, and discussions on sensitive topics.
Limitations include a small sample size and lack of a control group, indicating the need for larger randomized controlled trials to validate findings. Future interventions could also expand the duration and include more focus on abstinence self-efficacy and sexual negotiation skills.
