Exploring Parent-gender Differences in Parent and Adolescent Reports of the Frequency, Quality, and Content of Their Sexual Health Communication

ABSTRACT

Parent-adolescent sexual health communication (SHC) is a protective factor that can reduce adverse adolescent sexual health outcomes, and the frequency, quality, and content of SHC predicts its effectiveness. However, research on this topic has been limited in scope, overwhelmingly focused on mothers; and often has only included the parent or adolescent perspective, not both members of the dyad. Using secondary cross-sectional data, this study used ANCOVA, logistic regression, correlational, and chi-square analyses to investigate parent-gender differences in parent-adolescent SHC. Participants included 341 parent-adolescent dyads. Compared to fathers, mothers rated parent-adolescent SHC as more important and more comfortable, and had greater self-efficacy for and fewer reservations about SHC than fathers. Mothers also reported talking more frequently and more broadly with their child about sexual health than fathers. Adolescent-reported frequency, quality, and content of parent-adolescent SHC did not differ significantly by parent gender, except for one sexual health topic. Dyadic analyses revealed that mothers and their children tended to agree more in their reports of parent-adolescent SHC than fathers and their children. These findings suggest that fathers may need additional resources to help them confidently engage in effective parent-adolescent SHC.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the parents and adolescents who participated in this study. Research reported in this paper is solely the responsibilities of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under the National Institutes of Health under Grant R44HD082968 to the first author.