Affirmative Adaptation of Psychological Treatments for Sexual minorities: a Systematic Review

Since the declassification of homosexuality as a mental disorder and the proliferation of research about stigma and its outcomes in mental health, a significant number of papers have been published to study how sexual minorities respond to psychological treatment and whether adapted treatment or affirmative interventions are necessary, as is done with other minority groups. The objective of this review of the available literature is to determine if sexual minorities have the same response to standard treatments as their heterosexual counterparts, and whether adapted or affirmative interventions offer them better outcomes than standard treatment. Certain studies have identified differential outcomes in elective treatments, like cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and depression, when performed in ambulatory contexts, especially in the bisexual population and in female sexual minorities, who appear to benefit least from standard treatment. In the hospital context, outcomes did not differ between heterosexual and sexual minorities It has been concluded that adaptations may be necessary due to the poor response to standard treatment, though further research is required, mainly regarding the common factors of the treatment that predict good outcomes in all populations.