Parents' views on sexual debut among pre‐teen children in Washington, DC

Abstract

Objective: Present US parents' perceptions about factors leading to early intercourse and strategies for overcoming them.

Methods: Conducted analysis of eight focus groups with 78 male and female African‐American and Hispanic caregivers of fifth‐graders and sixth‐graders (ages 10–12).

Results: Participants gave the following primary reasons for early sexual activity: lack of structured activities, adult supervision, and communication; and influence of peers, society, and media. They suggested strategies targeting these reasons, and the need for parents, schools, and the community to work together.

Conclusion: Incorporating parents' perspectives would help tailor interventions to the needs of the target population and increase parental support.

Notes

1. Focus group guides were developed in English. For the Hispanic groups, we translated the guides into Spanish and back into English to ascertain that the meaning of the questions was preserved during translation.

2. One male Hispanic caregiver did not complete a questionnaire.

3. Although some participants discussed ways in which the church is already involved, several also expressed the idea that the church needs to become more involved. Interestingly, whereas a few participants felt that the church is an important resource for helping children to delay sex because of its ‘abstinence until marriage message’, a few also expressed distrust toward the church and felt strongly that they did not want the church to be involved in talking to their children about sex. Overall, however, there was general agreement that the church and community need to be more involved.