Parent-child communication about sex and young adolescents' sexual knowledge and attitudes

Abstract

Previous studies indicate that adolescents whose parents talk to them about sex tend to be less sexually active and more likely to use an effective means of contraception. This study sought to determine the relationship between parent-child communication about sex and young adolescents' reproductive and contraceptive knowledge and sexual attitudes. Twenty-two 12- to 14-year-olds and their parents completed sexual-knowledge, sexual-attitude, and contraceptive-choice questionnaires. Families were divided into high-communication and low-communication groups. There were no significant differences in the sexual knowledge, attitudes, or contraceptive choices of the children in the two groups, but the correlation between parents' and children's sexual attitudes in the high-communication group was significantly higher than that of the low-communication group. Although this was a correlational study, it seems likely that the similarity in sexual values was the result of parent-child discussion about sex.

PIP: This study investigates the relationship between parent-child communication about sex and young adolescents' reproductive and contraceptive knowledge and sexual attitudes. 22 12 to 14-year-olds and their parents completed sexual-knowledge, sexual- attitude, and contraceptive-choice questionnaires. Families were divided into high-communication and low-communication groups. The subjects were from a southern university town in the US. There were no significant differences in the sexual knowledge, attitudes, or contraceptive choices of the children's sexual attitudes in the 2 groups, but the correlation between parents' and children's sexual attitudes in the high-communication group was significantly higher than that of the low-communication group. It is likely that the similarity in sexual values was the result of parent-child discussion about sex. The hypotheses predicting differences in sexual knowledge, sexual attitudes, and contraceptive choice between children in the high-communication and low-communication groups were not supported. There were no differences in sexual permissiveness between the high-communication and the low-communication parents. There were both liberal and conservative parents who were unwilling or unable to discuss sex with their children. Parents who discussed sex with their children appeared to have more accurate information about reproduction and contraception than parents who did not talk to their children. When parents and children talk about sex, it is apparently attitudes and values that are conveyed, not sexual knowledge or contraceptive choice.