Conclusions
In sum, the studies reviewed for this publication indicate that
reaching parents through homework assignments may prove the
most promising method of reaching large numbers of parents
and actually having an impact upon
parent-child communication.These
studies also indicate that many types
of programs do increase
parent-child communication about
sexuality, at least in the short term.
This is encouraging.
Those interventions that actually
involved parents and their children
communicating together, either in
their homes or in special sessions,
were most likely to increase communication. In general, programs
that were longer and more intensive had more positive effects
than programs that were very short.
However, none of these programs currently show evidence of
what many program developers had hoped for: actual reductions
in adolescent sexual risk-taking. And, indeed, some of the programs
show evidence, varying from weak to strong, that they did not
change adolescent sexual behavior.
For at least three reasons, it is not surprising that these
programs have not had a greater impact upon parent-child
communication.
First, as already mentioned, many of the evaluation designs were
relatively weak and might not have detected programmatically
important impact.
Second, few of the evaluated programs were based on theory or
research, such as a thorough analysis of the barriers to parent-child
communication about sexuality and the possible solutions to
those barriers. Few focused on potentially important antecedents
to sexual risk-taking that parents might address, such as developing
a closer relationship with their teens or appropriately monitoring
and supervising them. In addition, many of the programs were
knowledge-based rather than skill-based, and not all of them provided
both adolescents and their parents actual practice talking about a
variety of sexual topics.
Third, most of these interventions were very modest. More intensive
interventions with follow-up activities over many months are likely
needed both to initiate and maintain higher levels of parent-child
communication about sexuality.
Based on the current evaluations of parent-child communication
programs, it does not seem likely that programs designed simply
to increase communication about sexuality represent a particularly
promising approach to reducing adolescent sexual risk-taking.
This is due to the following facts:
- Few parents are able or willing to participate in special programs for themselves and their children
- Programs appear to increase parent-child communication only
in the short term
- There does not exist a clear, robust relationship between
parent-child communication about sexuality and adolescent
sexual behavior
- None of the six studies that evaluated impact on actual sexual
behavior found positive changes in that sexual behavior
This does not mean that efforts to increase parent-child
communication should be dropped. After all, many parents value
communication with their children and want help with that
communication. In addition, parent-child programs may still be a
worthwhile component in larger, more comprehensive, and more
intensive programs to reduce adolescent sexual risk-taking.The
scientific work remaining to be done is substantial because
parent-child communication about sexuality appears to have a
complex relationship with adolescent sexual behavior. For example,
the effects of parent-child communication on adolescent sexual risk
behaviors might only prove important if parents and young people
have close relationships and parents either disapprove of teen sexual
intercourse or strongly support contraceptive use.The effects of
interventions might also be stronger when implemented with
mothers rather than fathers, or with daughters rather than sons.
Numerous studies indicate that other family characteristics
(parental support/connectedness and parental monitoring) are
consistently related to adolescent behavior. It may be those
characteristics, in combination with parent-child communication,
that help to reduce adolescent sexual risk behaviors.1
There are multiple ways that parents can express their norms
and influence their children's behavior, including their sexual
behavior. Parent-child programs have typically encouraged parents
to provide information about sexual topics and express
their values.
There are, however, other important ways that parents and families
more generally affect adolescent sexual behavior. For example,
parents model responsible or irresponsible sexual behavior.
Multiple studies have demonstrated that if a teen's mother had
intercourse at an early age, gave birth at an early age, is single
and dating, is single and cohabitating, or if an older sister is having
intercourse or has given birth at an early age, then the younger
teen is more likely to initiate intercourse at a younger age.2
Similarly, if the teen's sister gave birth as an adolescent, then the
teen is also more likely to become pregnant or give birth. Parents
can also influence their children's sexual behavior by appropriately
supervising them. Many studies have found that appropriate
monitoring and supervision are related to initiation of intercourse,
frequency of intercourse, use of condoms, use of contraception,
and pregnancy.3
Consequently, programs for parents may prove much more effective
if they do not focus only upon increasing parent-child communication
about sexuality but also upon these other ways in which parents
can influence the sexual behavior of their adolescent children. For
example, these programs can help parents become more connected
with their children, supervise and monitor them more appropriately,
model responsible sexual behavior, and respond appropriately to
possible sexual behavior and pregnancy among older siblings.
If programs have these effects, they may prove much more effective
at reducing adolescent sexual risk-taking than if they simply strive
to increase parent-child communication about sexuality. Of
course, helping parents do these things is much more challenging
than helping them talk about sexuality.
References
- B. C. Miller, B. Benson, and K. A. Galbraith, "Family Relationships
and Adolescent Pregnancy Risk: A Research Synthesis,"
Developmental Review, 2001, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 1-38.
- D. Kirby, Emerging Answers: Research Findings on Programs to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy (Washington, DC:The National Campaign
to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2001).
- Ibid; B. C. Miller, B. Benson, and K. A. Galbraith, "Family Relationships
and Adolescent Pregnancy Risk: A Research Synthesis,"
Developmental Review, 2001, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 1-38.
