Reducing minority stress to help sexual minority adults with eating disorders
Official title: Targeting Minority Stressors to Improve Eating Disorder Symptoms in Sexual Minority Individuals with Eating Disorders
Funded at Auburn University at Auburn · NIH-11367888 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests a new, identity-affirming treatment approach designed to help sexual minority adults with eating disorders by addressing stigma-related stress and coping skills.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Auburn University at Auburn NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Auburn, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | October 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $965,842 |
| NIH project number | 5R61MH133710-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11367888 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who identify as sexual minorities and who have an active eating disorder or are seeking treatment for eating disorder symptoms are the likely candidates for this work.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not sexual minorities, minors, or those needing immediate inpatient medical stabilization for severe eating disorder complications are less likely to benefit from this outpatient-focused program.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will adapt and refine a therapy that specifically targets stress from stigma and identity-related challenges that can worsen eating disorder symptoms. You would be asked about your sexual identity, experiences of minority stress, eating behaviors, and coping strategies, and you may receive therapy sessions that teach identity-affirming coping skills. The team will track changes in eating disorder symptoms, treatment attendance, and dropout over the treatment period and during follow-up. The goal is to make treatment feel more relevant and reduce barriers for sexual minority adults so more people stay in and benefit from care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce eating disorder symptoms and treatment dropout for sexual minority adults by addressing the stressors that maintain their symptoms.
How similar studies have gone: This is a relatively novel, tailored approach with limited prior trials specific to sexual minority people, though minority-stress–informed therapies show promising early signals in related mental health work.
Where this research is happening
-
Auburn University at Auburn
Auburn, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brown, Tiffany Ashton — Auburn University at Auburn
- Study coordinator: Brown, Tiffany Ashton
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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.