Parent-child communication and adolescent sexual behavior

Abstract

Data collected over a two-year period from more than 500 teenagers and their mothers indicate that neither parental attitudes toward premarital sex nor parent-child communication about sex and contraception appear to affect teenagers' subsequent sexual and contraceptive behavior. Teenagers are often ignorant of their parents' attitudes toward sex-related issues, and they and their parents often contradict one another in describing the kinds of sex-related conversations they have had. In only two cases was a significant relationship found between communication and adolescent behavior: Girls whose mothers reported that they had discussed sex with their daughters were less likely to subsequently initiate coitus; and girls who reported that their mothers had discussed birth control with them were more likely to use effective contraceptives. However, the former association disappeared when it was the daughters who reported the communication, and the latter disappeared when it was the mothers who reported it.

PIP: Interviews conducted in 1980 and 1982 among more than 500 teenagers and their mothers indicate that neither parental attitudes toward premarital sex nor parent-child communication about sex and contraception appear to affect teenagers' subsequent sexual and contraceptive behavior. In only 2 cases was a significant relationship found between communication and adolescent behavior: girls whose mothers reported that they had discussed sex with their daughters were less likely to subsequently initiate coitus; and girls who reported that their mothers had discussed birth control with them were more likely to use effective contraceptives. These associations disappeared, however, when it was the other party who reported the communication. The analysis clearly shows that teenagers are frequently ignorant of their parents' attitudes toward sex-related issues, and parents and teenagers frequently disagree about the kinds of sex-related conversations they have had. For example 73% of the boys and 77% of the girls believe that their mothers think that only married people should have sex, whereas only 45% of the mothers of sons and 49% of the mothers of daughters report holding that opinion. Similarly, 75% of mothers with sons, but only 33% of the sons, say mothers have taught their children "things about sex"; for mothers and daughters, the comparable figures are 87% and 62%. The reason the data reveal little effect of parental attitudes or parent-child communication on either the child's subsequent initiation of coitus or his or her contraceptive behavior may be that parental communication about sex is generally so vague or so limited as to have no impact.