Intermediate Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Group Program to Prevent Dating Violence and Alcohol Use Among Sexual and Gender Minority Teens.

LGBTQ+ teens are more likely than their heterosexual and cisgender peers to experience teen dating violence (TDV) and engage in substance use. Despite these increased risks, there is a dearth of prevention programming tailored for LGBTQ+ teens. The current study evaluated intermediate outcomes from a pilot randomized controlled trial of an affirming 9-session online group dating violence and alcohol use prevention program for LGBTQ+ teens, the Promoting Resilient Youth with Strong Hearts and Minds (PRYSHM) program. A total of 304 LGBTQ+ teens (ages 15-18) were randomized to complete PRYSHM (n = 213) or to a waitlist (n = 101) between September 2022 and February 2023 and completed surveys at baseline, post-test, and 3-month follow-up. PRYSHM participants were divided into three dosage groups based on number of sessions attended (low 0-2, moderate 3-5, high 6-9), with each group compared to waitlist. As compared to teens assigned to waitlist, teens in the high dosage group (n = 114) had significantly greater sense of LGBTQ+ community (post d = 0.8, 3-month d = 0.5), lower perceived LGBTQ+ peer norms for TDV perpetration (3-month d = 0.4), and greater self-efficacy to engage in alcohol use protective behavioral strategies (post d = 0.3). Results supported that the PRYSHM program led to changes in several proposed intermediate outcomes, but only among teens who received a higher program dose. Given the promise of PRYSHM, future work should evaluate the impact of the program utilizing a longer-term follow-up and consider ways to increase program engagement.