TY - JOUR
T1 - Parent-adolescent communication and sexual risk behaviors among African American adolescent females
AU - DiClemente, Ralph J.
AU - Wingood, Gina M.
AU - Crosby, Richard
AU - Cobb, Brenda K.
AU - Harrington, Kathy
AU - Davies, Susan L.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Objective: To examine associations between parent-adolescent communication about sex-related topics and the sex-related communication and practices of African American adolescent females with partners, as well as their perceived ability to negotiate safer sex. Design: A theory-guided survey and structured interview were administered to 522 sexually active African American females 14 to 18 years old. Recruitment sites were neighborhoods with high rates of unemployment, substance abuse, violence, and sexually transmitted diseases. Multivariate analyses, controlling for observed covariates, were used to identify the association of less frequent parent-adolescent communication with multiple assessed outcomes. Results: Less frequent parent-adolescent communication (scores below the median) was associated with adolescents' non-use of contraceptives in the past 6 months (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.7) and non-use of contraceptives during the last 5 sexual encounters (AOR = 1.6). Less communication increased the odds of never using condoms in the past month (AOR = 1.6), during the last 5 sexual encounters (AOR = 1.7), and at last intercourse (AOR = 1.7). Less communication was also associated with less communication between adolescents and their sex partners (AOR = 3.3) and lower self-efficacy to negotiate safer sex (AOR = 1.8). Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the importance of involving parents in human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy prevention efforts directed at female adolescents. Pediatricians and other clinicians can play an important role in facilitating parent-adolescent communication about sexual activity.
AB - Objective: To examine associations between parent-adolescent communication about sex-related topics and the sex-related communication and practices of African American adolescent females with partners, as well as their perceived ability to negotiate safer sex. Design: A theory-guided survey and structured interview were administered to 522 sexually active African American females 14 to 18 years old. Recruitment sites were neighborhoods with high rates of unemployment, substance abuse, violence, and sexually transmitted diseases. Multivariate analyses, controlling for observed covariates, were used to identify the association of less frequent parent-adolescent communication with multiple assessed outcomes. Results: Less frequent parent-adolescent communication (scores below the median) was associated with adolescents' non-use of contraceptives in the past 6 months (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.7) and non-use of contraceptives during the last 5 sexual encounters (AOR = 1.6). Less communication increased the odds of never using condoms in the past month (AOR = 1.6), during the last 5 sexual encounters (AOR = 1.7), and at last intercourse (AOR = 1.7). Less communication was also associated with less communication between adolescents and their sex partners (AOR = 3.3) and lower self-efficacy to negotiate safer sex (AOR = 1.8). Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the importance of involving parents in human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy prevention efforts directed at female adolescents. Pediatricians and other clinicians can play an important role in facilitating parent-adolescent communication about sexual activity.
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U2 - 10.1067/mpd.2001.117075
DO - 10.1067/mpd.2001.117075
M3 - Article
C2 - 11562621
AN - SCOPUS:0034828348
SN - 0022-3476
VL - 139
SP - 407
EP - 412
JO - Journal of Pediatrics
JF - Journal of Pediatrics
IS - 3
ER -