What This Means
This research brought together 15 young professionals (aged 18–30) working in sexual and reproductive health from countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America to collaboratively build a framework for understanding sexual well-being in young people. Using a structured discussion method called a modified Delphi study, participants engaged in three rounds of online conversations to share, debate, and refine their ideas. The result was a jointly designed framework that treats sexual well-being as something personal and culturally variable—meaning it can look different for different people—rather than as a fixed, universal standard.
The framework identified two interconnected layers of sexual well-being. The first is a set of individual capabilities: the ability to make informed decisions, control one's own body, give and receive consent, explore one's sexuality, experience pleasure, communicate openly, feel comfortable and safe, develop self-awareness, and build self-esteem. The second layer is the environment needed for these capabilities to be possible, including access to sexual health information and services, as well as broader conditions like acceptance, respect, freedom from violence, and freedom from coercion. The framework also recognized that social injustices—such as discrimination and inequality—can make it harder for young people to understand or achieve their own sexual well-being.
This research suggests that the way sexual well-being is defined and studied has largely excluded the voices of young people, local communities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals, even though these groups are directly affected by the topic. By co-creating a framework with young professionals from diverse global backgrounds, the study offers a more inclusive starting point for future research and policy. The authors suggest this work should prompt researchers and policymakers to actively involve a broader range of voices—particularly those most marginalized—when defining what sexual well-being means and how it should be measured and supported.