Adolescent Medicine

With planning, transitioning teenagers from pediatric care to adult care for their diabetes doesn’t have to be stressful for either patient or provider.

Many children face trauma at some point in their lives, but training on resilience and open communication can help.

A physician’s curiosity leads to discovery of both the cause and a “cure” for the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on patient health.

Visually oriented social media platforms created by their peers can have a significant negative impact on adolescents’ body image.

Abstinence-only education is ineffective and unethical, according to a new position paper, but is still the primary method of sexual education used in many parts of the country.

Pediatricians may be the first or only resource for some trans or gender nonconforming youths, and it’s important to offer them support and resources, particularly when it comes to navigating all-too-common high-risk behaviors.

Adolescent pregnancy rates are at an all-time low, and a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that there have been significant changes to adolescent sexuality over the last 2 decades.

The father of a healthy 15-year-old girl brings her to the emergency department (ED) for evaluation of blue hands.

Research has long tied alcohol use to early mortality, but a new study reveals how age at first drunkenness alone can impact mortality.

Physical appearance can have a significant impact on the psychosocial health of children and adolescents, especially with identity and self-esteem.

Although pediatric atopic dermatitis and acne have some similarities among children with skin of color and lighter-skinned children, there are important differences when these common skin conditions affect darker skin types.

Asking teenagers how often they have consumed alcohol in the past year provides a simple screen for those at risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD), a study in 1193 adolescents in rural Pennsylvania showed.

High school students who report sleeping 7 hours or less on an average school night are significantly more likely than their peers who sleep up to 9 hours a night to engage in several injury-related risk behaviors: infrequent bicycle helmet use; infrequent seatbelt use; riding with a driver who has been drinking; drinking and driving; and texting while driving.

Since its approval nearly 20 years ago, emergency contraception therapies have changed a lot. One in 5 physicians hesitates to discuss them with their patients, but a new bulletin from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology seeks to open the discussion.

Emergency contraception is used to decrease the risk of pregnancy after unprotected or underprotected coitus.

The results of 2 recent studies indicate that although teenaged pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are significantly lower than in previous years, there is still much room for improvement.

Adolescents of all ages have been getting less sleep during the past 2 decades than teenagers in earlier years, according to a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of 272,000 youngsters from 1991 to 2012.

Menstrual irregularity, acne, and other characteristics often seen in adolescent girls may be misdiagnosed as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

When it comes to isotretinoin, dermatology experts say, pediatricians should advise parents not to believe everything they read online. Furthermore, patients can't always be relied upon to comply with the birth-control requirements for using the drug.

One in every 3 annual healthy visits with adolescents contains no discussion about topics related to sexuality. When discussion does occur, it often lasts barely more than half a minute.

More than one-third of all high school seniors report binge drinking at a level of 5 to 15 or more alcoholic drinks in a single sitting at some point during the previous 2 weeks.

During 2011-2012, the percentage of students in grades 6 to 12 who ever used electronic or e-cigarettes doubled from 3.3% to 6.8%, meaning that as of 2012, an estimated 1.78 million middle and high school students have at least tried the largely unregulated devices, according to results from the National Youth Tobacco Survey.

It seems that major barriers exist to optimizing adolescents’ sexual health. A new study finds that contrary to recommended guidelines, primary care physicians are not routinely screening teenagers for sexually transmitted diseases.

A federal court ruling makes it possible for teenage girls under age 17 to obtain the morning after pill without a prescription.

Acne flare-ups in adolescents respond best to treatment when patients and parents understand what acne is, follow their therapy guidelines, and have reasonable expectations about what therapy can achieve.

A new US government report on emergency contraception, or “morning-after” pills, reveals that 14% of young women aged 15 to 19 years who ever had sexual intercourse said they used it at least once to prevent pregnancy.

Pediatricians should counsel teenagers about emergency contraception and issue advance prescriptions as part of routine care, says the AAP.

Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is the best choice for preventing unintended pregnancies, rapid repeat pregnancies, and abortions among sexually active adolescents and should be the first-line recommendation by health care providers, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Tobacco use by middle school students decreased by nearly half between 2000 and 2001—from 14.9% to 7.1%—and fell from 34.4% to 23.2% among high school students, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). How do you help to continue the downward trend? More >>