# Bridges: A digital intervention to increase workplace belonging

> **NIH NIH R43** · PRO-CHANGE BEHAVIOR SYSTEMS, INC. · 2024 · $324,381

## Abstract

Belonging is an integral part of the human experience and a paramount human need and motivation. A robust
sense of belonging can serve to improve mental and physical health, as well as resilience. Thwarted belonging—
the antithesis of belonging—and the feelings/experiences it foments (e.g., alienation, rejection, social isolation,
loneliness, and marginality) are often antecedents to poor mental and physical health outcomes. Individuals
who possess marginalized identities—such as members of the LGBTQ+ community who possess marginalized
sexual and gender identities—encounter high rates of discrimination and stigma, which account for experiences
of thwarted belonging and disparities in health and well-being. In an increasingly polarized world, workplaces
serve as important sources of belonging for their employees; however, members of the LGBTQ+ community
continue to experience thwarted belonging as many organizations lack the policies and procedures necessary to
make LGBTQ+ workers feel safe, connected, and included. As a result of organizational cultures often being
founded on heteronormative and cisnormative assumptions, LGBTQ+ individuals are forced to confront
dominant workplace cultures that are unwelcoming. The transformation of the workplace, as precipitated by
the COVID-19 pandemic, further hinders LGBTQ+ workers’ pursuit of belonging in the workplace in that it has
led to an increase in burnout and, often, a reduction in the possibilities for work-based social connections.
While interventions to promote workplace belonging among LGBTQ+ workers would address an important
unmet public health need, existing solutions consist of a number of gaps that limit effectiveness and
applicability to LGBTQ+ workers. The proposed research will employ a participatory design approach to create
and examine the acceptability and preliminary effects of Bridges: an advanced Learning Management System
and messaging program that will leverage insights from behavior change science to address thwarted
belongingness among LGBTQ+ workers. Bridges will use proven approaches to behavior change tailoring to
increase belongingness through delivering interactive behavior change communications and activities,
providing a platform to facilitate sharing of personalized stories and opportunities to engage in ongoing
discussions and self-appraisal, and providing actionable tips for addressing belonging within the workplace.
The design and development of Bridges will be informed by extensive and ongoing end-user input from 12
LGBTQ+ worker advisors. One hundred and twenty-nine LGBTQ+ workers will be recruited for a 30-day pilot
test. Phase I milestones will include: 1) feasibility as evidenced by continued receipt of text messages for the
30-day pilot period and one or more interactions with the online tools by at least 75% of study participants; 2)
acceptability of the program, as evidenced by obtaining a minimum rating over 69 on the System Usability
Scale and 75% endorsemen...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10821268
- **Project number:** 1R43MD019197-01
- **Recipient organization:** PRO-CHANGE BEHAVIOR SYSTEMS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Kerry Evers
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $324,381
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-03-13 → 2025-03-21

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10821268

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10821268, Bridges: A digital intervention to increase workplace belonging (1R43MD019197-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10821268. Licensed CC0.

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