Keywords:
ethical challenge
youth development
sexuality education
counseling interventions
professional competence
qualitative study

  • Abstract

    In the present day, adolescent sexual issues, including pornography addiction and risky sexual behaviors, have become increasingly concerning in Malaysia. These challenges place considerable pressure on school counselors, who must navigate sensitive and complex aspects of adolescent sexuality within a cultural context that often discourages open discussion of such matters. This study aims to explore the readiness of school counselors in addressing adolescent sexuality challenges. Adopting a qualitative research approach through the case study method, the study involved seven Secondary Guidance and Counseling Teachers (GBKSM) selected using purposive sampling. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with a structured interview protocol to obtain detailed insights into their professional experiences. Data were analyzed using NVivo software to identify emerging patterns, and thematic analysis was employed to interpret the qualitative findings. The study generated three interrelated themes to answer the research questions: (1) the increase in sexual issues among school adolescents, (2) the challenges of counseling in addressing sexual matters, and (3) the impact of counselors’ unpreparedness on their professional psychology. Overall, the findings revealed that most counselors felt unprepared to handle adolescent sexuality issues, often experiencing discomfort and reluctance to discuss sexual matters openly with clients. This lack of readiness stemmed from several key factors, including insufficient training in sexuality education, the absence of specific procedures or guidelines for managing related cases, limited support and collaboration from other stakeholders, and the persistence of negative social stigma surrounding sexuality. Therefore, this study highlights several important implications for practice and policy, particularly emphasizing the urgent need for comprehensive professional training across counseling specialties to strengthen counselors’ competence, self-efficacy, and readiness in addressing pornography addiction and broader sexuality issues among adolescents.

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Faisal, N. A., Ku Johari, K. S., Amat, S., & Amat, M. I. (2026). School counselors’ preparedness to intervene in adolescent pornography addiction in Malaysia: Challenges and implications. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 8(10), 2026684. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026684
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