Sexual functioning and experiences in young people affected by mental health disorders.
Elizabeth McMillan, Asiel Adan Sanchez, Amit Bhaduri, Nancy Pehlivan, Katherine Monson, Paul Badcock, Katherine Thompson, Eoin Killackey, Andrew Chanen, Brian O'Donoghue
Author Information
Elizabeth McMillan: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Asiel Adan Sanchez: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Amit Bhaduri: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Orygen Youth Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.
Paul Badcock: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Katherine Thompson: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Eoin Killackey: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Andrew Chanen: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Orygen Youth Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.
Brian O'Donoghue: Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Orygen Youth Health, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.
The majority of mental disorders have their onset in late adolescence and early adulthood and this coincides with important stages of sexual development. Although Sexual dysfunction is highly prevalent among people with mental health disorders, little is known about this topic among youth. This study aimed to evaluate the sexual functioning and subjective experience of sex in young people aged between 15 and 26 years attending a youth mental health service. One hundred and three participants were assessed with the Sexual Health Questionnaire, Sexual Functioning Questionnaire, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and the Medication Adherence Rating Scale. There were 43 males, 52 females, and 8 transgender and gender diverse participants with a range of mental health disorders. Eighty (77.7%) had experienced consensual sexual intercourse. Ninety-nine (95.8%) endorsed at least one item of Sexual dysfunction and clinical Sexual dysfunction was present in 37 (38.9%) cases. Sexual dysfunction was associated with greater severity of general psychopathology, negative symptoms, antipsychotic use, lower antipsychotic medication adherence, and negative subjective experiences around sex. Addressing this Sexual dysfunction in young people could lead to both an improvement in subjective experiences of sexual relationships and potentially improvement in adherence to treatment.
