Patterns and Outcomes of Mother‐Daughter Communication About Sexuality

Abstract

Drawing from a sample survey of 449 black and white mother-teenage daughter dyads, this study examines patterns, correlates, and consequences of direct verbal communication about sex between mother and daughter. Findings suggest that while mothers and daughters reported frequent discussions of sex-related topics, they differed in terms of how comfortable they felt talking with each other, what roles each played in initiating discussions, and whether they desired more frequent discussions in the future. Higher frequencies of current communication were associated with more responsible patterns of daughters' sexual behavior. T h e authors suggest that future research be directed at determinants of parental involvement in sexual socialization, and at analyses of the underlying processes of parent-child sexual communication.

Exploring Unplanned Pregnancy Amongst University Students

“…The remaining 12 respondents had instructed their daughters to abstain from sex, threatening to disown them if they fell pregnant. Fox and Inazu (1980) reported similar findings, namely that few parents gave much direct instruction about sexuality, sexual intercourse or contraception. Respondents had mainly discussed sex with their peers or had learnt about it from the media, both of which were unreliable and sensationalised sex and promiscuity (Parekh & De la Rey, 1997).…”

Social Cognitive factors Associated with Mother-Adolescent Communication About Sex

“…Studies show that both parents and their adolescents report varying degrees of comfort with talking about sex. Mothers report more comfort than daughters (Fox & Inazu, 1980), and there is evidence that the communication of factual information is less difficult than the discussion of more personal issues such as when it is alright for a teen to have sex (Nolin & Peterson, 1992). The findings of studies also suggest that comfort might be associated with frequency of conversations; research shows that the more parents converse about sex issues, the less discomfort they feel (DiIorio et al, 1996).…”

Parent-Teen Communication About Sexual Topics

“…Although the impact of parents is often debated or discounted, young adults typically name parents as important sources of sex education (Bates & Joubert, 1993;Yarber & Greer, 1986), and a growing body of research reveals linkages between parent-child communication and adolescent sexual behavior and attitudes (Fisher, 1986;Holtzman & Rubinson, 1995;Moore, Peterson, & Furstenberg, 1986;Treboux & Busch-Rossnagel, 1990). Most important, sexual discussions with parents have been linked to less risky sexual behavior among teenagers (Casper, 1990;Fox & Inazu, 1980;Holtzman & Rubinson, 1995;Luster & Small, 1994). This research suggests that parent-teen sexual discussions do infl uence teenagers' sexual attitudes and behavior; however, factors associated with such discussions are not well understood.…”

“…Most research on the role of parents in sexual socialization has focused on identifying demographic predictors of parent-child communication about sex (Fox &Inazu, 1980;Furstenberg, Herceg-Baron, Shea, &Webb, 1986;Leland & Barth, 1993;Moore et al, 1986;Sigelman, Derenowski, Mullaney, & Siders, 1993;Young & Core-Gebhart, 1993). This research indicates that daughters are more frequently the target of sexual communication than sons (Moore et al, 1986;Young & CoreGebhart, 1993), and mothers communicate more with teens than fathers do (Baldwin & Baranoski, 1990;Nolin &Petersen, 1992;Sigelman et al, 1993).…”