Relationship between adolescent-parental communication and initiation of first intercourse by adolescents

Abstract

Objective: To examine the level of communication between parents and adolescents and correlate the findings with onset of sexual intercourse.

Methods: This was a 10-year longitudinal study. Subjects filled out questionnaires at the time of each health supervision visit. The data in this article were harvested at enrollment and at the 5-year point. Comparisons of adolescent-parental communication were first compared between the virginal and nonvirginal groups at the initiation of the study. The results were then confirmed by adding data from patients in the virginal group who converted over the first 5 years of the study to the nonvirginal group. Two hundred and three patients, aged 12-21 years, were studied from a pediatrician's practice panel in Middleton, Wisconsin. The questionnaires inquired about grades and activities school, relationship with siblings and parents at home, and risk-taking behaviors involving alcohol, drugs, and sex with peers. Statistical analysis included the Student's t-test to determine the mean difference between groups. Fisher's exact test was used to evaluate the association of variables to the status of patients' sexual activity at enrollment. Multiple logistic regression was conducted on the initial enrollment data to examine the association between the initial covariates and patients' sexual status.

Results: During the initial survey, 172 enrolled patients were in the virginal group and 31 in the nonvirginal group. The virginal group had a higher rating of communication with their parents after adjusting for age (p <.001). To verify these findings, we examined an additional 29 patients in the virginal group who converted to nonvirginal status during the first 5 years of the study. We then compared the level of adolescent-parental communication between the subgroup who converted to nonvirginal status with the level of communication of the subgroup who remained virgins. Even after correcting for age, communication with the mother was significantly better in patients who maintained their virginal status (p <.01).

Conclusions: Teenagers who perceive that they have a better level of communication with their parents are less likely to engage in sexual intercourse.