Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39949736›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health2025

Young People's Trust in Digital Sexual Healthcare: A Narrative Review.

Niamh Woodward, Lisa Buckley, Judith A Dean, James A Fowler

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Niamh WoodwardFaculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Lisa BuckleyFaculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Judith A DeanFaculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
James A FowlerFaculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: Trust has been identified as a key factor associated with supporting access to sexual health interventions and digital healthcare. We aimed to explore and synthesize factors that may cultivate trust for young people (10-24-year-old) when accessing digital sexual healthcare. Methods: A total of 5950 articles were extracted from 5 databases (Scopus, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL) and independently assessed for relevance by two researchers. Trust descriptions were analyzed using a narrative synthesis approach, extracted tabularly and synthesized into themes through conceptual mapping. Results: Thirteen papers between 2011 and 2021 from the United States (n = 5), Australia (n = 3), United Kingdom (n = 2), Canada (n = 2), and Netherlands (n = 1) were reviewed. Young people (n = 462), varying in gender identity and sexuality, were aged between 14 and 29 years old. Four areas cultivating trust in digital sexual healthcare were described: (1) Esthetics, language, tone: Trusted digital sexual healthcare was easy to navigate, had limited sexually explicit content or pop-up ads, was not overly teen-friendly and used a professional tone and language, reflecting communication reportedly expected from healthcare providers. (2) Privacy, anonymity, safety: Safety features that preserved young people's anonymity were important for their trust, particularly amid fear of shame or stigma. (3) Authors' expertise, authenticity, reputation: Personal accounts online which reflected the young person's own lived experience were trusted for topics considered subjective (e.g., dating and relationships). (4) Consistency: Cross-checking personal accounts and scientific information to confirm the consistency of content helped with young people's evaluation of trust. Conclusions: Considering the factors cultivating trust when designing digital sexual health interventions may improve access and use. However, given the nuance in lived experience and needs, young people should be meaningfully engaged in the design of digital sexual health interventions. Particularly as sexual health intervention and resources are increasingly being delivered and accessed online by young people.

Indexed as

digital healthreviewsexual healthTrustyoung people

Identifiers

PMID39949736
PMCPMC11817529

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.