Problems of Sexual Functioning Among Adolescents

Establishing positive sexual attitudes, behaviours, and relationships is a central developmental task of adolescence. However, almost nothing is known about the problems in sexual functioning and response that adolescents experience. This is a serious omission because problems in sexual functioning impair the quality of intimate relationships and psychologiocal health. To address this sigificant research and knowledge gap, I am part of a CIHR-funded research team (Dr. Lucia O'Sullivan is the Principal Investigator) that is using both qualitative and quantitative methods to: .

1.  Enhance our understanding of the range and prevalence of sexual problems that adolescents experience;

2.  Determine how sexual problems evolve over time and establish links to risk and protective factors as well as to longer-term individual outcomes;

3. Identify the individual, sociocultural, and structural factors that facilitate and counter assessment and intervention in the health care context; and, 

4. Use our findings as a basis for informing the development of gender-sensitive materials and strategies that can be used to promote adolescents' access to adolescent-friendly health care when sexual problems occur.

We have now completed five waves of data collection for our longitudinal study (N = 406) as well as interviews with 50 youth. We are currently interviewing health care providers and launching a second study examining sexual problems within dating relationships specifically.

We have published one manuscript examining problems in sexual functioning based on the baseline data  in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. We found that adolescents reported extensive sexual experiences, most in a relationship context. Half of the sampel (51%) reported a sexual problem; 50% reported clinically significant levels of distress associated with it. Similar rates of problems and distress were found among male and female adolescents. For the most part, adolescent characteristics, backgrounds, and experience were not associated with adolescents' sexual problems. We are currently working on three additional manuscripts based on these data.

          O’Sullivan, L., Brotto, L., Byers, E. S.  Majerovitch, J., & Wuest, J. (2014). Prevalence and characteristics of sexual functioning among sexually experienced middle to late adolescents. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 11, 630-641. DOI: 10.111/jsm.12419 

 O’Sullivan, L., Brotto, L., Byers, E. S.  Majerovitch, J., & Wuest, J. (2012, February). Problems in sexual functioning among adolescents and young adults. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health, Jerusalem. 

          O’Sullivan, L.,  &  Byers, E. S. (2013, June). Does a history of sexual coercion hamper access to health care on a university campus.  In L. Stermac, Chair. Sexual assualt on campus: Institutional action and individual resposnes. Symposium presented at the meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Quebec City.

         O’Sullivan, L., Brotto, L., Byers, E. S.  Majerovitch, J., Wuest, J., & Byers, M.  (2013, November). Addressing the question of when sexual dysfunctions emerge: Sexual problems among male and female adolescents.  Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, Sand Diego.