ArticlePloS one2024
Effectiveness of an eHealth intervention for reducing psychological distress and increasing COVID-19 knowledge and protective behaviors among racialized sexual and gender minority adults: A quasi-experimental study (#SafeHandsSafeHearts).
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04870723 (An International Multi-site, Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief eHealth Intervention to Increase COVID-19 Knowledge and Protective Behaviors, and Reduce Pandemic Stress Among Diverse LGBT+ People), which is not on this map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
An International Multi-site, Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief eHealth Intervention to Increase COVID-19 Knowledge and Protective Behaviors, and Reduce Pandemic Stress Among Diverse LGBT+ People
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Health of Black Populations and Sexual and Gender Minorities in Health Education: A Scoping Review.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Review
- Invisible minority stress and addictive behaviors: disparities in psychological distress and e-cigarette use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in China.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Depressive symptoms, violence, and discrimination among transgender women during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.Revista peruana de medicina experimental y salud publica · 2025Article
- Promoting equitable access to infection prevention for people with different vulnerabilities: a scoping review.BMC nursing · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeSexual and gender minority and racialized populations experienced heightened vulnerability during the Covid-19 pandemic. Marginalization due to structural homophobia, transphobia and racism, and resulting adverse social determinants of health that contribute to health disparities among these populations, were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and public health measures to control it. We developed and tested a tailored online intervention (#SafeHandsSafeHearts) to support racialized lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other persons outside of heteronormative and cisgender identities (LGBTQ+) in Toronto, Canada during the pandemic.
methodsWe used a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design to evaluate the effectiveness of a 3-session, peer-delivered eHealth intervention in reducing psychological distress and increasing Covid-19 knowledge and protective behaviors. Individuals ≥18-years-old, resident in Toronto, and self-identified as sexual or gender minority were recruited online. Depressive and anxiety symptoms, and Covid-19 knowledge and protective behaviors were assessed at baseline, 2-weeks postintervention, and 2-months follow-up. We used generalized estimating equations and zero-truncated Poisson models to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on the four primary outcomes.
resultsFrom March to November 2021, 202 participants (median age, 27 years [Interquartile range: 23-32]) were enrolled in #SafeHandsSafeHearts. Over half (54.5%, n = 110) identified as cisgender lesbian or bisexual women or women who have sex with women, 26.2% (n = 53) cisgender gay or bisexual men or men who have sex with men, and 19.3% (n = 39) transgender or nonbinary individuals. The majority (75.7%, n = 143) were Black and other racialized individuals. The intervention led to statistically significant reductions in the prevalence of clinically significant depressive (25.4% reduction, p < .01) and anxiety symptoms (16.6% reduction, p < .05), and increases in Covid-19 protective behaviors (4.9% increase, p < .05), from baseline to postintervention.
conclusionWe demonstrated the effectiveness of a brief, peer-delivered eHealth intervention for racialized LGBTQ+ communities in reducing psychological distress and increasing protective behaviors amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Implementation through community-based organizations by trained peer counselors supports feasibility, acceptability, and the importance of engaging racialized LGBTQ+ communities in pandemic response preparedness. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT04870723.
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