Understanding sexual health and substance use education for young adults living with sickle cell disease
Embargo Date
2027-08-29
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
Young adulthood (ages 18–25 years) is a critical time period for all people to receive education and guidance about sexual health and substance use. This is especially important for young adults living with sickle cell disease (SCD), as sexual health and substance use are two areas of health that are deeply intertwined with the disease-related effects of SCD as well as the natural developmental process of young adulthood. Therefore, additional disease-related considerations related to sexual health and substance use education must be included in their overall care. However, little is known about the best practices to address sexual health and substance use education for young adults living with SCD as they transition from pediatric to adult SCD care. Thus, this dissertation proposes the following research question: What are the current approaches to sexual health and substance use education in healthcare settings for young adults living with sickle cell disease? Aim 1. Identify existing sexual health and substance use education resources and interventions for young adults ages 18–25 living with SCD by conducting a scoping review; Aim 2. Examine provider perspectives and experiences of delivering sexual health and substance use education for young adults ages 18–25 living with SCD through qualitative interviews; Aim 3. Explore the experiences, perspectives, and preferences of young adults ages 18–25 living with SCD regarding sexual health and substance use education within the healthcare setting via qualitative interviews. The findings gathered from this research are intended to inform future research for young adults living with SCD as they navigate these areas of health while transitioning into adult care.
Description
2025