96709 Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health

Description

In this subject, students explore adolescent sexual and reproductive health from developmental, sociocultural, and public and population health perspectives. The subject brings together theory and practice from developmental psychology, neuroscience and biology; sociology; ethics; epidemiology and health promotion. Students learn about biopsychosocial development in the second decade of life including sexual identity development; the sociocultural construction of sexuality and its relevance to adolescents, and the patterns of partnered sexual activity and the epidemiology of sexual and reproductive health in adolescence. Using the ecological model of health and wellbeing, students examine the social and cultural determinants of sexual and reproductive health in adolescents, focusing on legal and ethical challenges in relation to youth. Population level interventions to promote sexual and reproductive adolescent health including those in health promotion, school education and in preventive health and medicine are explored. Learning activities and assessments require personal reflection, active participation in group discussions, and a scholarly approach to understanding potentially unfamiliar concepts from a range of disciplines. This subject is suitable for clinicians, public health practitioners, policy makers and educators.