Adolescent sexuality and disclosure

Youth should be reminded that people’s responses may not always be predictable. It is important to note that for many individuals, coming out may be a lifelong process and occur in stages, beginning with close friends or family members and progressing from there. In the age of social media, youth should be reminded that disclosures through social media may be widely accessible, are easily shared, and may be difficult to remove. For youth who do not have supportive peer groups, and may not be able to disclose their sexual identity, providing support resources can be helpful.
 

Dr. Chelvakumar is an attending physician in the division of adolescent medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Ohio State University, both in Columbus. She has no relevant financial disclosures. Email her at pdnews@frontlinemedcom.com.

Resources for sexual minority youth and peers/families

Gay-Straight Alliance Network: gsanetwork.org

Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network: Information for Students: glsen.org/students

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States: www.siecus.org

The Trevor Project: Help and Suicide Prevention: www.thetrevorproject.org

It Gets Better Project: https://www.itgetsbetter.org/

Family and Ally Organization: PFLAG: https://www.pflag.org/

Advocates for Youth Parent Tips: https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/parents/173-parents

References

1. “Adolescent Sexuality,” by Michelle Forcier, MD, in Up to Date. Updated March 2017.

2. Pediatrics. 2016 Aug;138(2). pii: e20161348.

3. The Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Grades K-12 (Washington, D.C.: Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, 2004).

4. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 2016, Aug 12;65(9):1-202.

5. “Sexual minority youth: Epidemiology and health concerns,” by Michelle Forcier, MD, and Johanna Olson-Kennedy, MD, in Up to Date.