Adolescent Sexual Development: An Overview of Recent Research
Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
17 June 2014
Abstract
An overview of recent research describing adolescent sexual development is presented, including research examining puberty, sexual attitudes and behaviours, and LGBTQ youth and stigma. This overview is placed within the context of the healthy sexual development framework and the four domains of development (physical, social, cognitive, and emotional) incorporated in the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ youth policy framework. Finally, recommendations are made for future community mental health research and policy.
Résumé
Un aperçu de la recherche récente décrivant le développement sexuel des adolescents et adolescentes est présenté, y compris la recherche examinant la puberté, les attitudes et les comportements sexuels et les jeunes des minorités sexuelles et la stigmatisation. Cette vue d'ensemble est placé dans le contexte du cadre du développement sexuel sain et les quatre domaines du développement (physique, social, cognitif et émotionnel) incorporé dans le cadre stratégique pour la jeunesse du ministère des Services à l'enfance et à la jeunesse de l'Ontario. Enfin, des recommandations sont présentées pour la recherche et la politique de santé mentale communautaire dans l'avenir.
Formats available
You can view the full content in the following formats:
References
Almeida J., Johnson R. M., Corliss H. L., Molnar B. E., and Azrael D. Emotional distress among LGBT youth: The influence of perceived discrimination based on sexual orientation Journal of Youth and Adolescence 2009 38 1001 -1014
Brugman M., Caron S. L., and Rademakers J. Emerging adolescent sexuality: A comparison of American and Dutch college women's experiences International Journal of Sexual Health 2010 22 32 -46
Curry J. R. and Hayes B. G. Bolstering school based support by comprehensively addressing the needs of an invisible minority: Implications for professional school counselors Journal of School Counseling 2009 7 Retrieved from http://www.jsc.montana.edu/articles/v7n7.pdf
DePaul J., Walsh M. E., and Dam U. C. The role of school counselors in addressing sexual orientation in schools Professional School Counseling 2009 12 300 -308
Dorn L. D., Dahl R. E., Woodward H. R., and Biro F. Defining the boundaries of early adolescence: A user's guide to assessing pubertal status and pubertal timing in research with adolescents Applied Developmental Science 2006 10 30 -56
Doty N. D., Willoughby B. L. B., Lindahl K. M., and Malik N. M. Sexuality related social support among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth Journal of Youth and Adolescence 2010 39 1134 -1147
Eliason M. Introduction to special issue on suicide, mental health, and youth development Journal of Homosexuality 2011 58 4 -9
Graber J. A., Nicols T. R., and Brooks-Gun J. Putting pubertal timing in developmental context: Implications for prevention Developmental Psychobiology 2010 52 254 -262
Halpern C.T., Joyner K., Udry J. R., and Suchindran C. Smart teens don't have sex (or kiss much either) Journal of Adolescent Health 2000 26 213 -235
Harader D. L., Fullwood H., and Hawthorne M. Sexuality among adolescents with moderate disabilities: Promoting positive sexual development Prevention Researcher 2009 16 17 -20
Hennessy M., Bleakley A., Fishbein M., and Jordan A. Estimating the longitudinal association between adolescent sexual behavior and exposure to sexual media content Journal of Sex Research 2009 46 586 -596
Hipwell A. E., Keenan K., Loeber R., and Battista D. Early predictors of sexually intimate behaviors in an urban sample of young girls Developmental Psychology 2010 46 366 -378
Hogarth H. and Ingram R. Masturbation among young women and associations with sexual health: An exploratory study Journal of Sex Research 2009 46 558 -567
Kosciw J. G., Greytak E. A., and Diaz E. M. Who, what, where, when, and why: Demographic and ecological factors contributing to hostile school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth Journal of Youth and Adolescence 2009 38 976 -988
Leech T. G. J. Everything's better in moderation: Young women's gender role attitudes and risky sexual behavior Journal of Adolescent Health 2010 46 437 -443
McKee A. Does pornography harm young people? Australian Journal of Communication 2010 37 17 -36
McKee A., Albury K., Dunne M., Grieshaber S., Hartley J., Lumby C., and Mathews B. Healthy sexual development: A multidisciplinary framework for research International Journal of Sexual Health 2010 22 14 -19
Meyer E. J. and Stader D. Queer youth and the culture wars: From classroom to courtroom in Australia, Canada and the United States Journal of LGBT Youth 2009 6 135 -154
Miller A. and Lucal B. The pedagogy of (in)visibility: Two accounts of teaching about sex, gender, and sexuality Teaching Sociology 2009 37 257 -268
Mustanski B. S, Garofalo R., and Emerson E. M. Mental health disorders, psychological distress, and suicidality in a diverse sample of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths American Journal of Public Health 2010 100 2426 -2432
Needham B. L. and Austin E. L. Sexual orientation, parental support, and health during the transition to young adulthood Journal of Youth and Adolescence 2010 39 1189 -1198
Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services. (2012). Stepping stones: A resource on youth development. Toronto, ON: Author. Retrieved from MCYS website: http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/documents/topics/ youthopportunities/steppingstones/SteppingStones.pdf
Peper J. S., Brouwer R. M., van Leeuwen M., Schnack H. G., Boomsma D. I., Kahn R. S., and Pol H. E. HPG-axis hormones during puberty: A study on the association with hypothalamic and pituitary volumes Psychoneuroendocrinology 2010 35 133 -140
Ressler P. and Chase B. Sexual identity and gender variance: Meeting the educational challenges English Journal 2009 98 15 -22
Rosario M., Schrimshaw E. W., and Hunter J. Disclosure of sexual orientation and subsequent substance use and abuse among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths: Critical role of disclosure reactions Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 2009 23 175 -184
Schell L. M. and Gallo M. V. Relationships of putative endocrine disruptors to human sexual maturation and thyroid activity in youth Physiology & Behavior 2010 99 246 -253
Smith M. Youth viewing sexually explicit material online: Addressing the elephant on the screen Sexuality Research and Social Policy 2013 10 62 -75
Stanhope R. Growth and puberty: Disorders of puberty Medicine 2009 37 494 -496
Stieglitz K. A. Development, risk, and resilience of transgender youth Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care 2010 21 192 -206
Zhao Y., Montoro R., Igartua K., and Thombs B. D. Suicidal ideation and attempt among adolescents reporting “unsure” sexual identity or heterosexual identity plus same-sex attraction or behavior: Forgotten groups? Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2010 49 104 -113
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 33 • Number 1 • July 2014
Pages: 21 - 29
History
Version of record online: 17 June 2014
Key Words
Mots-clés
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Other Metrics
Citations
Cite As
ScottSusan M. and WalshAnne Marie. 2014. Adolescent Sexual Development: An Overview of Recent Research. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
33(1): 21-29. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2014-003
Export Citations
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
There are no citations for this item
View Options
View options
Login options
Check if you access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.
Subscribe
Click on the button below to subscribe to Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
