Mental Health Corner Section Editor: Hatim Omar, MD Kentucky Clinic, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA Welcome to this new addition to the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, entitled the ‘‘Mental Health Corner’’! Our featured article is written by Dr. Catherine Martin and her colleagues in the Department of Psy- chiatry at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Martin has an illustrious history devoted to understanding mental health issues of children and adolescents, es- pecially related to sexuality, relationship develop- ment, and behavioral manifestations of adolescent decision-making. The article is entitled, ‘‘Kiss and tell: What do we know about pre- and early adolescent females who re- port dating?’’ There is an emerging debate among professionals about the current state of adolescence, dating behavior, and sexuality. Are adolescents more responsible in their sexual activity than in years past? Is the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections rising or falling among your patients? Does ‘‘casual’’ sex continue to be an issue? What are the current trends in your practice that challenge you? Your com- ments and opinions about these questions and other topics are welcome. The goal of the mental health corner is simple. We want to stimulate your thinking about the future of child and adolescent gynecology as patients require increased attention in the area of mental health and re- ferrals to the local community mental health agency simply are not sufficient to meet the need. In addition, the gynecologist may be the only physician that the child or adolescent will see! The mental health corner will appear twice per year and we welcome your comments, papers, opin- ions and questions. Any inquiries and/or submissions should be sent to the Journal of Pediatric and Adoles- cent Gynecology; Attn: Mental Health Corner, or to Letters to the Editor, as appropriate. Hatim Omar, MD Section Editor doi:10.1016/j.jpag.2006.10.009 Kiss and Tell: What Do We Know About Pre- and Early Adolescent Females Who Report Dating? A Pilot Study C.A. Martin, MD, K. Lommel, DO, J. Cox, BA, T. Kelly, PhD, M.K. Rayens, PhD, J.H. Woodring, MD, and H. Omar, MD Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, USA Abstract. Study Objective: To evaluate the implications of dating in pre- and early adolescent females. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Child psychiatry clinic; pediatric clinic; family clinic. Participants: Pre- and early adolescent females (n 5 80) aged 11e14 and their parents. Intervention: Pre- and early adolescent females aged 11e14 and a parent were recruited during a regular clinic visit. Pre- and early adolescent females completed a survey that included measures of dating; sensation seeking; life- time individual and peer drug use; Attention Deficit Hyper- active Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder symptoms; and onset of menses. Parents were asked similar questions about their child’s dating behaviors and peer relationships. Main Outcome Measure: Association of early dating with individual and peer drug use, sensation seeking, ag- gressive behavior, and onset of menses. Results: In pre- and early adolescent females, dating reg- ularly is associated with nicotine and alcohol use, sensation seeking, and aggressive behavior. Dating regularly is also associated with onset of menses and a younger age of onset of menses in those who had started menstruating. Parents under-report their child’s dating practices and associated high-risk behaviors. Conclusion: Early dating is associated with nicotine and alcohol use, sensation seeking, aggressive behavior, and early onset of menses in adolescent females. Questions about early dating are a simple and efficient way to open This study was supported by NIDA grants number K08 DA00333, DA 05312 and University of Kentucky Medical Center Research Fund Grant #952 Address correspondence to: Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky, 3470 Blazer Parkway, Lexington, KY 40509; E-mail: cmartin@uky.edu Ó 2007 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Published by Elsevier Inc. 1083-3188/07/$22.00 J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol (2007) 20:45e49