Parent-Adolescent Sexual Communication and Adolescent Safer Sex Behavior

Widman, Laura; Choukas‐Bradley, Sophia; Noar, Seth M.; Nesi, Jacqueline; Garrett, Kyla P.

doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.2731

Cited by 368 publications

(335 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(67 reference statements)

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“…Parent-adolescent sexual communication can help adolescents make healthier sexual decisions (Widman et al 2015). However, sexual conversations are challenging for many families (Malacane and Beckmeyer 2016), and pediatricians and other helping professionals may seek to help parents more effectively tailor their sexual conversations with adolescents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To do so, it will document direct relations between parent-adolescent sexual communication and adolescents' sexual attitudes, perceived norms, and/or self-efficacy; and indirect relations in which parent-adolescent sexual communication is associated with adolescents' sexual intentions and/or behaviors via these sexual cognitions. Direct relations between parent-adolescent sexual communication and sexual intentions or behavior are beyond the scope of the review (see Widman et al 2015, for a more thorough treatment). Then, it will summarize how the communication characteristics of parent-adolescent sexual communication (e.g., its extent, content, and quality) differentially relate to adolescents' sexual cognitions.…”

Section: Communication Characteristics That Modify the Effectiveness mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two such factors that could produce variation in the reviewed pathways, but were not represented well enough among the reviewed studies for inclusion in the synthesis, include gender (of the parent and the adolescent) and the timing of parent-adolescent sexual communication relative to the child's sexual development. Greater evidence now indicates that parent-adolescent sexual communication is more predictive of sexual behaviors when mothers (versus fathers) are the source (DiIorio et al 1999) and when daughters (versus sons) are the recipient (Widman et al 2015). This likely represents different gender-based socialization around dating and sexuality (Perilloux et al 2008).…”

Section: Parent-adolescence Sexual Communication and Pathways Of Assomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent meta-analysis showed that, overall, adolescents whose parents talk to them about sexuality generally exhibit safer sexual behaviors (e.g., more consistent condom use; Widman et al 2015). Despite these overall trends, research and theory is unclear regarding the specific pathways (i.e., the mechanisms of change) that explain how parent-adolescent sexual communication can influence adolescents' sexual behaviors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parent–Adolescent Sexual Communication and Adolescents’ Sexual Behaviors: A Conceptual Model and Systematic Review

Rogers

2016

Adolescent Res Rev

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Parent-adolescent sexual communication can help reduce sexual risk behaviors among adolescents. However, research and theory are less clear regarding the specific pathways (i.e., mechanisms of change) by which this communication works to reduce sexual risk behavior. The current review addresses this gap by proposing a conceptual model describing the processes by which parent-adolescent sexual communication influences adolescents' sexual intentions and behaviors and by conducting a systematic review to locate evidence for this model. Guided by the Integrative Model of Behavioral Change, the proposed conceptual model focuses on the social cognitive pathways that act as explanatory mechanisms of the relations between parent-adolescent sexual communication and adolescents' sexual intentions and behaviors, as well as the characteristics of this communication that determine its effectiveness in influencing these sexual cognitions. Thirtyeight peer-reviewed studies were systematically located and synthesized. Findings showed consistent links between parent-adolescent sexual communication and adolescents' sexual attitudes and safe-sex efficacy (though links with perceived sexual norms were more mixed), which in turn may influence their sexual intentions and behaviors. Evidence also emerged to suggest that the characteristics of the communication itself (e.g., extent, content, quality) may influence its effectiveness over adolescents' sexual cognitions. The identification of these processes advances theory on parent-adolescent sexual communication which has, to date, been unclear regarding these pathways. As such, these findings can inform future research efforts as well as prevention efforts seeking to promote adolescent sexual health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Communication Characteristics That Modify the Effectiveness mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Parent-adolescence Sexual Communication and Pathways Of Assomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Parent–Adolescent Sexual Communication and Adolescents’ Sexual Behaviors: A Conceptual Model and Systematic Review

Rogers

2016

Adolescent Res Rev

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“…53 -55 Thus, having a high-quality relationship with mothers may contribute to more frequent parent-adolescent sexual communication, 48 -50 which in turn has been associated with a lower likelihood of early sexual intercourse initiation, particularly for girls. 48,51 Future studies should further examine the exact mechanisms underlying the protective effects of a high-quality relationship with mothers. Second, although our bivariate findings suggested that a higherquality relationship with fathers may protect both girls and boys against early sexual initiation, the multivariate analysis results indicated no significant protective effect from fathers, neither for boys nor for girls.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mother– and Father–Adolescent Relationships and Early Sexual Intercourse

et al. 2016

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OBJECTIVES: To assess the prospective associations between mother-adolescent and fatheradolescent relationship quality and early sexual intercourse initiation (ie, ≤16 years) among a large sample of Dutch adolescents. METHODS:Two waves of data from the Rotterdam Youth Monitor, a longitudinal study in the Netherlands, were used. The analysis sample consisted of 2931 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years (Mean age@T1 = 12.5 years, SD = 0.61; Mean age@T2 = 14.3 years, SD = 0.60). Variables were assessed by means of self-report questionnaires. Prospective associations between mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationships and early sexual initiation were assessed by logistic regression analyses, stratified by gender, controlling for various potential confounders. RESULTS:We found that only girls (not boys) having a higher-quality relationship with mothers were significantly less likely to have initiated early sexual intercourse between T1 and T2. Bivariate findings showed that both girls and boys having a higher-quality relationship with their father at T1 were significantly less likely to have engaged in early sexual intercourse between T1 and T2, but when assessed multivariately, these associations were no longer significant, neither for boys nor for girls. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings suggest that a higher-quality relationship between adolescents and their parents, especially between mothers and daughters, may help to protect against early sexual initiation. Pediatricians and other health care professionals should be able to explain to parents that early sexual intercourse initiation can be associated with negative health outcomes, but that parents can play an important role in promoting healthy sexual behaviors.

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