Building Individual and Community Resilience for LGBTQIA+ Individuals in India: A Pilot Study using the SAAHAS intervention model

Background: Exploring factors that determine resilience in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual+ (LGBTQIA+) community as described in the minority stress model and developing interventions to promote individual and community resilience are emerging goals to facilitate LGBTQIA+ mental health. In this pilot study, researchers’ objectives were two-fold to build a participant-derived theory on resilience in the LGBTQIA+ community and to develop and evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of an intervention module to build resilience. Methods: Online group therapy sessions were conducted under the Sexuality, Awareness, Acceptance, Health, and Support (SAAHAS) framework, with queer mental health professionals as facilitators using a peer-cum-expert stance. Following a detailed intake and assessment using the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale, a group discussion on Understanding Resilience in the first session was used to identify resilience components. In the remaining 6 sessions, facilitators primarily used Queer Affirmative Cognitive Behavior Therapy techniques pertinent to these components to address challenges in the domains of self, family of origin, and intimate partner relationships. A feedback form was used after the final session to evaluate usefulness. Results: The 6 components identified as crucial to LGBTQIA+ resilience were building self-worth, stigma competence, cognitive coping, emotional coping, general social and interpersonal skills, and accessing information and resources. 27 participants from the LGBTQIA+ community attended at least one session. Participant feedback suggested that the participants believed that the group was a safe space, perceived an increase in their resilience after the intervention, reported improvement on all 6 resilience components, and believed that they had better skills to navigate challenges in the 3 settings of self, family, and intimate partner relationships. Conclusion: The SAAHAS intervention module can be a useful cost-effective framework to promote individual resilience, and the group therapy setting itself is a useful tangible community resilience resource.