Gio Iacono, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor University of Connecticut
- Hartford CT
Dr. Iacono's research interests include LGBTQIA+ youth mental health, youth resilience, diversity and inclusion in social work education.
Biography
Dr. Iacono is the Principal Investigator of Tuned In!, one of the few systematically developed and empirically tested LGBTQIA+ affirmative mindfulness-based interventions designed to address the mental health needs of sexual and gender diverse youth and emerging adults. Tuned In! is an eight-week virtual group intervention co-created with LGBTQIA+ young people that has demonstrated high feasibility, acceptability, and sustained (12-month follow-up) reductions in depression, anxiety, and psychological distress, alongside increases in mindfulness, self compassion, and sexual self efficacy. This program has been supported by multiple internal and external grants, including the Mind & Life Varela Grant, and the University of Connecticut Research Excellence Program and InCHIP Seed Grant funding,
Dr. Iacono’s research is published worldwide with studies appearing in Clinical Social Work Journal, International Journal of LGBTQ+ Youth Studies, Mindfulness Journal, American Journal of Community Psychology, Social Work Education, Journal of Affective Disorders, the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, and others.
Dr. Iacono teaches graduate (master’s and doctoral) and undergraduate courses in advanced clinical social work practice with individuals, groups, and families; social work practice with groups; human oppression and structural inequality, and qualitative research methods.
He brings experience working as a psychotherapist, clinical social worker, community organizer, and researcher in a range of health and community-based settings, with community development efforts centered on promoting the mental and sexual health of diverse and marginalized communities. A long-time mindfulness meditation practitioner, he integrates mindfulness into his work as an educator, researcher, and clinician.
Areas of Expertise
Education
University of Toronto
Ph.D.
Social Work
2019
University of Toronto
M.S.W.
Social Work
2009
Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)
B.S.W.
Social Work
2008
Affiliations
- International Association of Applied Psychology
- International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG)
- Society for Social Work Research
- Toronto Region Groupworkers’ Network
- Canadian Association for Social Work Education
- Mindfulness Toronto Association
- Queer Ontario
Accomplishments
SPARC Program Award, International Association for Social Work with Groups
2018
World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
2019
Best Qualitative Article, Journal of Social Work Education
2022
Links
- School of Social Work Profile
- InCHIP Collaboratory on School and Child Health Affiliate Profile
- Google Scholar Profile
- UConn Social Work Researcher Investigates a Mindfulness Mental Health Intervention for LGBTQIA+ Youth - UConn Today
- UConn Researcher Adapting Mindfulness Program for LGBTQIA+ Youth for Online Use - UConn Today
Social
Media
Media Appearances
UConn researcher is ‘tuned in' to the LGBTQ+ youth mental health crisis
WHSU online
2023-10-19
Gio Iacono, an assistant professor at UConn’s School of Social Work, said with the mental health crisis in America at an all-time high, the program tries to use a trauma-informed approach. A national survey conducted by the Trevor Project in 2021 found that 70% of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in the United States reported having poor mental health.
The Social Work Speaks Out project is helping social work schools create more positive learning environments for LGBTQ+ students
University of Toronto online
2023-01-30
“One way to increase inclusion is to embed LGBTQ+ issues throughout the curriculum,” says Iacono. The ‘Social Work Speaks Out’ project found slightly more than two-thirds of respondents felt that instructors handled LGBTQ+ topics well in their classes, but only about one-third said the same of transgender topics. Drawing on data like this, Iacono and Craig explored the strategies that LGBTQ+ students use to increase their inclusion in social work programs. An article based on these findings received the 2022 award for Best Qualitative Article from The Journal of Social Work Education.
How Mindfulness Can Support LGBTQ+ Youth
Mindful Magazine online
2021-04-09
Dr. Gio Iacono is calling on people in the field of mindfulness to pay attention to LGBTQ+ youth.
“Traditional mental health approaches just are not meeting the needs of queer and trans youth,” he says. “They are very much underserved and understudied in terms of developing and researching programs and interventions that will actually be helpful.”
Event Appearances
The role of self-compassion in promoting LGBTQIA+ youth psychological well-being
Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference Phoenix, AZ - 2024
Bridging the gap: A community-based participatory approach to developing a socially engaged mindfulness curriculum for BSW students
Association of Baccalaureate Program Directors Conference New Orleans, LA - 2024
Unpacking neutrality discourse in social work: exploring twitter responses to anti-trans legislation
Council on Social Work Education Annual Conference. Atlanta, GA - 2024
Breaking down barriers to mental health supports for LGBTQIA+ youth through group work
International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry Illinois - 2023
Cultivating peer support in social work education during the COVID-19 pandemic
International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry Illinois - 2023
Research Grants
A mindfulness-based affirmative program to virtually address the mental health needs of sexual and gender minority youth
Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy, UConn — Seed Grant
2021
A mindfulnessbased affirmative program to virtually address the mental health needs of sexual and gender minority youth
Office of the Vice President for Research, UConn — Research Excellence Program
2021
Socially Engaged Mindfulness. Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy
UConn — Seed Grant
2023
Articles
LGBTQ+ Familial Acceptance as a Moderator Between Weight-Based Victimization and Disordered Eating Behaviors Among LGBTQ+ Youth
LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal2026
LGBTQ+ youth experience high prevalence of disordered eating behaviors (DEBs). Family rejection and weight-based victimization (WBV) are associated with higher DEBs; family rejection is associated with lower DEBs. We have limited understanding of how these experiences intersect to impact DEBs among LGBTQ+ youth. This study utilized a national LGBTQ+ youth survey (n = 11,016) to examine associations between family and peer-based WBV and parental LGBTQ+ acceptance on DEBs. Analyses indicate a positive association between DEBs with WBV from peers and parents and negatively associated with parental LGBTQ+ acceptance. Parental acceptance moderated the impact of peer-based WBV, but not parental WBV, on some DEBs.
LGBTQ+ Affirmative CBT: a hierarchical linear model of longitudinal outcomes and mechanisms of change
BMC Psychology2025
Background
Sexual and gender diverse adolescents and young adults (SGDAYA) experience mental health disparities, yet few empirical investigations into the long-term impact of affirmative treatments on their well-being exist.
Methods
This study explored the longitudinal effects of a brief affirmative cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) group intervention (AFFIRM) on the depression and anxiety of SGDAYA (N = 202), as well as how pre-treatment and mid-intervention change mechanisms contributed to their improved mental health. Participants’ age ranged from 14 to 29 years old at baseline (M = 22.12, SD = 4.60). Data were collected at four time points (pre-test, post-test, 6 months, 1 year) and analyzed using hierarchical linear models.
Examining the Bidirectional Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Cigarette Smoking: Evidence from a Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis
American Journal of Health PromotionFindings suggest complex interrelationships between food insecurity, smoking, poverty, and mental health. Bidirectional relationships between food insecurity and smoking may be explained by poverty and mental health, warranting consideration of contextual factors. Policies and interventions addressing food insecurity and smoking should integrate strategies that also address poverty and mental health.
Supporting Sexual and Gender Diverse Young People: Exploring the Potential Benefit of the Tuned In! Intervention
Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal2025
Sexual and gender diverse youth and young adults (SGDY) experience significant mental health disparities compared to non-SGDY and lack access to culturally responsive mental health supports. Limited literature on affirmative interventions for SGDY exists. As part of a larger pilot study, the present qualitative study sought to understand the experiences of SGDY who received the Tuned In! intervention to explore its potential benefit in supporting SGDY mental health. Tuned In! is a virtual affirmative mindfulness-based intervention, co-created with and for SGDY. SGDY (16–29 yrs.) were recruited from Connecticut to participate in the intervention via social media advertisements, and were invited to follow-up virtual focus groups after completing the intervention. Twenty-five SGDY participated in four virtual focus groups, with an additional 12 SGDY providing written feedback.
Tuned In!: 12-month longitudinal outcomes of an affirmative mindfulness intervention for sexual and gender diverse youth and young adults
Journal of Affective Disorders2025
Sexual and gender diverse youth and young adults (SGDY) face mental health disparities due to anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination and minority stressors. Despite increasing research on youth mental health interventions, culturally responsive approaches for SGDY are scarce. This study addresses this gap by assessing the mental health impact of an SGDY-specific trauma-informed affirmative mindfulness-based intervention (MBI), Tuned In!, which was co-developed with SGDY through community-based participatory methods, and designed to support their mental health needs.
