Can writing about discrimination heal LGBTQ+ mental health?
NCT ID NCT05349877
First seen Sep 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Sexual and gender minorities face discrimination that can harm mental health. Researchers are testing whether brief, self-guided online writing exercises can reduce depression, anxiety, and stress. Participants write for 20 minutes about their emotions, their values, or their daily routine. The trial compares these approaches to see which, if any, helps.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- guided online writing exercises (expressive writing and self-affirmation)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a free, private, self-guided tool that sexual and gender minorities can use to ease depression, anxiety, and stress linked to discrimination.
- What could go wrong
- Writing exercises may not be strong enough to help people with serious mental health struggles, and some participants may not finish the program. The trial cannot prove that writing changes long-term outcomes.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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306 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2022
- Finished
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Sep 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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16 to 100 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Self-identity as sexual and gender minority. * Being older than 16 years old. * Have a stable on-line connection for, at least, 20 minutes in a place where won't be disturbed. * Reports, in the baseline survey, previous experiences of discrimination, having depression or anxiety symptoms. * Currently living in Rio Grande do Sul. Exclusion Criteria: * Disagrees with the consent form.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 90619-900, Brazil
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