Good mental health is critical to ensuring healthy transitions to adulthood, with implications for overall well-being, growth and development, self-esteem, positive education outcomes, social cohesion and resilience in the face of future health and life changes (UNICEF, 2012). But few programs and policies have effectively addressed the mental health needs of adolescents. Further, programs and policies that do exist rarely take gender differences into account or reach the most marginalized. Marginalized groups include adolescents that are very young; living in poverty; married; out-of-school; or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex; and others. Not appropriately accounting for and addressing the age-specific, gender-specific and context-specific needs of adolescents can harm them by increasing their vulnerability. Ensuring their healthy development requires a focus on alleviating risks, as well as on factors that can offer protection.

Indeed, understanding adolescent girls’ and boys’ unique and common vulnerabilities to mental health risks, including the impacts of harmful gender norms and the factors that can protect and enhance their mental health and wellbeing, are crucial when considering appropriate policies and interventions. The health and development communities need more research and concrete action.

This paper attempts to provide a starting point for discussion about what is currently known about the connections among gender, adolescence and mental health, and to provide some initial considerations to help guide a research and program agenda moving forward. It begins with a broad discussion of gender and health during adolescence, then turns more specifically to what is known about gender and mental health in this important life phase. It then highlights some existing interventions, poses imperatives for future work, and draws conclusions for further consideration. We hope readers find it a valuable contribution to a growing conversation.