Helping parents talk about sexuality with their gay or bisexual teens
Intervention to improve parent communication about sexuality
This project offers a five-session online program to help parents learn inclusive, practical ways to talk with their gay or bisexual teen so families feel more supportive and less stressed.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11375787 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you and your teen would enroll as a parent-youth pair and be randomly assigned to either the Parents ASSIST program or a control group. Parents ASSIST is a hybrid five-session online program that teaches sexuality-specific information and communication skills for conversations after a teen discloses a gay or bisexual identity. The trial plans to enroll about 476 parent-teen dyads and will measure how often and how comfortably families talk, and whether mental health and family functioning improve over time. The team will compare results between the program and control groups to see if the program leads to better family support and reduced symptoms.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are parents and their teen (typically adolescent age) who has disclosed a gay or bisexual identity and who are willing to take part together in online sessions and follow-up surveys.
Not a fit: Families where the teen has not disclosed an attraction or identity, where either member is unwilling to participate, or where immediate clinical care for severe mental-health crises is required may not benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could increase parental acceptance, improve parent-teen communication, and reduce anxiety or depressive symptoms for both teens and parents.
How similar studies have performed: Previous family-acceptance and parent-training programs have shown promise for improving youth outcomes, but this focused online intervention for parents after disclosure is a newer, more targeted approach.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Flores, Dalmacio Dennis — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Flores, Dalmacio Dennis
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.