Effects of Self-Compassion Practice on Stress Reactivity Among Sexual Minority Women

Syracuse University39 enrolled

Overview

This project will test the ability of brief self-compassion training to attenuate physiological and subjective responses to induced stress among sexual minority women, transgender people, and nonbinary people.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Stress Reaction Sexuality Compassion

Interventions

Compassion InterventionBEHAVIORAL

The compassion intervention is a single-session 40-min intervention in which the participants practiced soothing rhythm breathing (i.e., they are directed to slow their breathing using a five-count inhale and five-count exhale). They will then be provided didactic instruction on compassion, and will then be guided through an experiential compassion practice adapted that encompasses cultivating feelings of compassion for a loved one and then for oneself.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Be 18 years of age or older * Be fluent in English (i.e., speak and read English) * Have Internet access * Have a working email address * Self-identify sexual identity as LGBQ+ or another non-heterosexual identity AND gender identity as cisgender woman, transgender, nonbinary, or other gender minority identity * Currently live in Central NY Exclusion Criteria: * Failing an inclusion criterion * Report having been hospitalized at an inpatient facility for psychiatric support within the past 6 months * Report being currently pregnant * Report a history of heart attack, unstable angina pectoris, heart failure, coronary heart disease, vascular, heart problems, stroke, or brain hemorrhage * Report being on blood pressure medication * Have resting systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 100 mmHg

Locations (1)

Syracuse University

Syracuse, New York, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Blood Pressure

Systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured with an Omron ocillometric blood pressure monitoring device before and after the intervention and before during and after participants undergo the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) modified with a minority stress prompt.

Time frame: Baseline, Immediate Follow-Up (40 minutes after Baseline), During TSST (45-50 minutes after Baseline), Immediate Post-TSST (20-30 minutes post-TSST onset), Recovery Post-TSST (10-20 minutes after Immediate Post-TSST time point)

Change in Salivary Cortisol

Salivary cortisol levels will be collected using Salimetrics saliva swabs before the intervention and after participants undergo the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) modified with a minority stress prompt.

Time frame: Baseline, Immediate Post-TSST (20-30 minutes post-TSST onset), Recovery Post-TSST (10-20 minutes after Immediate Post-TSST time point)

Change in Heart Rate Variability

Heart rate variability will be measured with BIOPAC MP160 System before and after the intervention and before during and after participants undergo the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) modified with a minority stress prompt.

Change in Heart Rate

Heart rate will be measured with BIOPAC MP160 System before and after the intervention and before during and after participants undergo the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) modified with a minority stress prompt.

Change in Skin Conductance

Skin conductance reactivity will be measured with the BIOPAC MP160 System before and after the intervention and before during and after participants undergo the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) modified with a minority stress prompt.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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Secondary Outcomes

Change in PTSD Symptoms

PTSD symptoms will be measured using the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5 (PDS-5; Foa et al., 2015). Possible scores on the PDS-5 range from 0 to 80. Higher scores indicate more PTSD symptoms.

Time frame: Baseline, Follow-Up (1-month)

Change in Substance Use

Past 30-day substance use, including number of days of any alcohol use, hazardous drinking, cannabis use, prescription drug use, cigarette use, and other drug use was measured using questions from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Time frame: Baseline, Follow-Up (1-month)

Change in Dissociation

Change in dissociation will be measured with the five items adapted from scales which measure state dissociation in experience sampling studies (Mason et al., 2017; Vine et al., 2020). Dissociation will be measured before and after the intervention and before and after participants undergo the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) modified with a minority stress prompt. Possible scores for this measure range from 0 to 15. Higher scores indicate more dissociation.

Time frame: Baseline, Immediate Follow-Up (40 minutes after Baseline), Immediate Post-TSST (20-30 minutes post-TSST onset), Recovery Post-TSST (10-20 minutes after Immediate Post-TSST time point)

Change in Craving

Change in craving be measured with the 12-item Alcohol Craving Questionnaire - short form - revised (Singleton et al., 1994). Craving will be measured before and after the intervention and before and after participants undergo the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) modified with a minority stress prompt. Possible scores on this measure range from 12 to 84. Higher scores indicate more alcohol craving.

Time frame: Baseline, Immediate Follow-Up (40 minutes after Baseline), Immediate Post-TSST (20-30 minutes post-TSST onset), Recovery Post-TSST (10-20 minutes after Immediate Post-TSST time point)