Creating Access to Resources and Economic Support

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The goal of this study is to test the ability of small grants and/or peer support to improve mental health among transgender people experiencing material hardship. The main questions the study will answer are: Do microgrants with or without peer mentoring improve mental health? Do microgrants with or without peer mentoring improve mental health by reducing material hardship and/or increasing a sense of community connection? Researchers will compare mental health outcomes among three groups of participants: A. Participants who receive one small grant and monthly financial education videos B. Participants who receive a small grant every month and monthly financial education videos for a total of 6 months. C. Participants who receive a small grant every month, peer mentoring support, and monthly financial education videos for a total of 6 months.

Official Title
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Creating Access to Resources and Economic Support

Conditions
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Psychological Distress

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Financial education videos
* Other: Microgrant
* Behavioral: Peer mentoring


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: age 18 years or older gender identity different from sex assigned on original birth certificate access to a mobile phone or email score > 0 on the material hardship index Exclusion Criteria: inability to provide informed consent in English

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Usual Care<br>Monthly financial education videos and one-time microgrant | Behavioral: Financial education videos<br>* Brief videos providing structured information on managing one's money<br>Other: Microgrant<br>* $150 stipend<br>|
| Active Comparator: Monthly microgrants<br>Monthly financial education videos and monthly microgrants | Behavioral: Financial education videos<br>* Brief videos providing structured information on managing one's money<br>Other: Microgrant<br>* $150 stipend<br>|
| Active Comparator: Monthly microgrants plus peer mentoring<br>Monthly financial education videos, monthly microgrants, and peer mentoring support | Behavioral: Financial education videos<br>* Brief videos providing structured information on managing one's money<br>Other: Microgrant<br>* $150 stipend<br>Behavioral: Peer mentoring<br>* One-on-one structured mentoring sessions with a trained peer<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in psychological distress, as measured by Kessler 6 | Kessler 6 is a 6-item scale with each item scored from 0-4 for a total score range from 0-24, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress. | Baseline, 6 months, 12 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in substance use, as measured by the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) | DAST-10 is a 10-item scale with with one one point for each yes response for a total score range from 0-10, with higher scores indicating more problematic substance use | Baseline, 6 months, 12 months |