Parents Communicate with Their Teens about Sexuality Issues

An article in the October issue of the Journal of School Health examines a survey on the characteristics, content, and comfort level of discussions about sexuality issues between parents and their teens.

Data was collected from 374 parents of adolescents in grades 7 through 12 from a rural county in northwest Ohio. The 28-item survey instrument was based on a comprehensive review of the literature and used a two-style response format that consisted of selecting from a list of alternative answers or selecting among alternative Likert-type responses such as "not at all," "not very much," "moderate amount," or "great deal."

Results

Communication

• Almost all parents (94%) reported that they had talked with their teen about sexuality. However, when asked about other parents, only 9% believed most parents adequately communicate with their teens about sexuality issues.

• When asked how difficult it was for parents to talk with their teens about sexuality issues, 20% were "uncomfortable" or "very uncomfortable," while 65% reported being "somewhat comfortable" or "very comfortable."
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• Slightly more than one in five respondents (22%) believed their teens had no interest in talking with them about sexuality issues, and 17% were "not sure."

• Parents were given a list of seven possible reasons for not having sexual intercourse. Parents reported speaking to their teens a "great deal" or a "moderate amount" about the following reasons: contracting STDs (93%), getting pregnant (86%), it is wrong and against the parents' beliefs/values (78%), bad reputation/loss of respect from others (72%), and how upset or disappointed the parents would be if they found out (67%).

• Parents were also given a list of seven possible reasons for not getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant. Parents reported speaking to their teens a "great deal" or a "moderate amount" about the following reasons: it might make him/her have to grow up too fast (79%), might keep him/her from finishing high school (77%), might create money problems (74%), might lose his/her social life (74%), might cause him/her to marry the wrong person (67%), might embarrass the teen (53%), and might embarrass the family (47%).

Topics Discussed

• Parents were asked to rate "how much" they addressed specific topics related to sexuality and pregnancy prevention. Parents reported speaking a "great deal" about the following topics: responsibilities of being a parent (46%), STDs (40%), dating relationships/dating behavior (37%), and not having sexual intercourse until marriage (36%).

• In contrast, parents reported speaking "not very much" or "not at all" about the following topics: masturbation (79%), prostitution (68%), pornography (63%), and abortion/alternatives to abortion (55%).

What Parents Believe

• Almost 64% of parents believed schools should begin teaching sexuality education before students reach seventh grade.

• Most parents (80%) believed that the majority of sexuality education should be provided by the family and supplemented by outside organizations. In contrast, 14% of parents believed that outside organizations should play the major role and the family should serve as the supplemental source of education.

• Almost all parents believed formal sexuality education should include information about STDs (91%) and birth control methods, including condoms (92%).

• Most parents (85%) believed that sexuality education should include an emphasis on sexual abstinence.

• 76% of parents also believed formal sexuality education should include information on safer sex practices, including how to use a condom.

Sources of Information

• Parents perceived themselves as the leading source of information about sexuality topics for their teens (87%) and ranked schools as the second leading source of information (74%).

• Parents claimed that written materials such as books and brochures (50%) as well as past education experiences (47%) were the most helpful sources of information when talking to their teens about sexuality.

• Parents were asked to indicate which type of resources would help them better communicate with their teens about sexuality, 52% of parents preferred a regular newsletter regarding teen sexuality issues, 49% a series of classes for their teen and the teen's peers to explore sexual issues, and 49% a library of education resources (books, tapes) from which one could borrow. In contrast, 23% of parents were the least supportive of attending informational/educational meetings designed for parents, their children, and their children's peers.

Perceptions of Teen Pregnancy Risk

• Nearly one half of parents (49%) believed that teen pregnancy was a problem in their child's school district, 34% were unsure, and 17% believed it was not a problem in their child's district.

• On a personal level, 14% of parents reported it was "likely or "very likely" that their teen had previously engaged in sexual intercourse, while nearly 79% of parents believed that their teens had not had sexual intercourse.

• When asked how many of their teen's friends had previously had sexual intercourse, 41% of parents reported "a few" and 31% reported one half or more.

Since most parents preferred that the family take the lead role in sexuality education, school health educators in rural areas can play an important role in assisting parents with this task. Many parents also reported using written materials as their primary source of information for sexuality education. The authors suggest that parents may prefer to receive written information because it is a "safe" alternative to meeting face-to-face in a group setting and discussing sexual topics.

Interestingly, for reasons unknown, most fathers chose not to respond to the survey. The authors note that this finding is consistent with previous studies that found mothers to be the primary source of parental information about sexuality.

The authors conclude that more research is needed regarding the influence of informal messages parents communicate to their teens about sexual values and attitudes. Informal messages may include: how parents behave toward members of the opposite sex, the examples parents set in the home regarding their own sexual behavior and values, types of film/movies parents take their children to see and allow them to view in the home, other types of media parents allow in the home, and the type of comments parents make to friends in front of their children. The authors suggest that such informal messages communicated by role models may prove more influential than formal communication.

For more information:

T. R. Jordon, et al., "Rural Parents' Communication with Their Teenagers about Sexual Issues," Journal of School Health, 70(8), pp. 338-44.