Academic Research Articles

A selection of current (since 2015) peer-reviewed journal articles related to sex education, intended to support easy access to reliable research on the topic. These articles are not affiliated with Answer or Rutgers University and are not intended to be a comprehensive database.

Evidence for Comprehensive Sex Education

2026 Promising Approaches to Comprehensive Sex Education - Evidence From Three Decades of Research.pdf

2021 Three Decades of Research - The Case for Comprehensive Sex Education.pdf

2021 Sex Education - Broadening the Definition of Relevant Outcomes.pdf

2021 School-based Sex Education in the U.S. at a Crossroads - Taking the Right Path.pdf

2015 Short-term effects of a rights-based sexuality education curriculum for high-school students.pdf

Sexual Risk Avoidance/Abstinence-Only Sex Education

2017 Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage - An Updated Review of U.S. Policies and Programs and Their Impact.pdf

Adaptive Sex Education

2026 They Deserve Better - A Call for Trauma-Informed Sex Education for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.pdf

2015 Identifying Effective Methods for Teaching Sex Education to Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities.pdf

Adolescents' Perspectives

2024 Assessing Middle and High School Students’ Sex Education Questions.pdf

2024 Massachusetts Students Experiences With and Recommendations for Sex Education.pdf

Contraception

2025 Critical Gaps in US Adolescent and Young Adult Contraceptive Knowledge.pdf

2023 It’s Time for Over-the-Counter Oral Contraceptive Pills.pdf

2018 Changing Patterns of Contraceptive Use and the Decline in Rates of Pregnancy and Birth Among U.S. Adolescents, 2007 to 2014.pdf

Implementation

2022 Adolescents’ Receipt of Sex Education in a Nationally Representative Sample, 2011 to 2019.pdf

2022 An Approach for Strengthening Education, Health Services, and School Environments That Promote Adolescent Sexual Health and Well-Being.pdf

2018 Institutionalizing Sex Education in Diverse U.S. School Districts.pdf

Media and Technology

2026 When Sexting Goes Wrong - The Extent of Nonconsensual Sharing and Sextortion Among U.S. Teens.pdf

2026 Adolescent Health and Generative AI - Risks and Benefits.pdf

2025 Can AI teach sex ed? A systematic review of the use of artificial intelligence in sexual and reproductive health education

Parent Support

2022 Increased Parent Support for Comprehensive Sexuality Education Over 15 Years.pdf

Pleasure

2020 Pleasure and Sex Education - The Need for Broadening Both Content and Measurement.pdf

Policy

2021 The Effect of State‑Level Sex Education Policies on Youth Sexual Behaviors.pdf

2016 The State of Sex Education in the United States.pdf

Sexual Assault Prevention

2018 Does sex education before college protect students from sexual assault in college.pdf

2016 Effects of an Interactive School-Based Program for Preventing Adolescent Sexual Harassment.pdf

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

2025 Adoption and Implementation of CA Trans and Nonbinary Protections in LA-Area HSs.pdf

2023 High School FLASH Sexual Health Education Curriculum - LGBTQ Inclusivity Strategies Reduce Homophobia and Transphobia.pdf

2020 Transgender Students in Elementary Schools - How Supportive Principals Lead.pdf

2019 Associations of LGBTQ-Inclusive Sex Ed With Mental Health Outcomes and School-Based Victimization in U.S. High School Students.pdf

2017 Comprehensive Sexuality Education as a Longitudinal Predictor of LGBTQ Name-Calling and Perceived Willingness to Intervene in School.pdf

Teacher Training

2025 Results From the Health Ed Core Knowledge and Skills (CHECKS) PD Study.pdf