Original article
Adolescents' Reports of Communication With Their Parents About Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Birth Control: 1988, 1995, and 2002

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.11.201Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

We examine trends in adolescents' reports of discussion with parents about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and birth control methods from 1988 to 2002.

Methods

Data from the 1988 and 1995 National Survey of Adolescent Males, and the 1988, 1995, and 2002 National Survey of Family Growth were analyzed to evaluate changes in discussions of female adolescents with parents about birth control methods and STDs, and changes in male adolescent discussions with parents about birth control methods. The sample includes never married males and females aged 15–17 years.

Results

In 2002, fewer female adolescents reported discussion with a parent about STD or birth control methods than in 1995. The share of female adolescents in 2002 reporting no discussion of either topic with their parents increased by almost half compared to 1995. Patterns across time in male adolescents' discussions of birth control methods with their parents appear stable.

Conclusions

The recent decline in female adolescent reports of parent-communication about birth control and STDs, and the increase in female adolescent reports of no discussion of either topic suggest that public health officials, educators, and clinicians should invigorate their efforts to encourage parents to talk with their children about STDs and birth control.

Section snippets

Sources of data

Data are analyzed from five nationally representative surveys: the 1988 and 1995 NSAM which recruited 15–19-year-old males, the 1988 and 1995 NSFG, which recruited 15–44-year-old females, and the 2002 NSFG, which recruited 15–44-year-old males and females. The surveys have been described in detail elsewhere [23], [24], [25], [26], [27]. In brief, they are all nationally representative household surveys that utilized face-to-face interviews to investigate fertility patterns and sexual behavior.

Sample description

As can be seen from Table 1, the racial make-up of the final samples varies slightly from year to year. Generally, the samples include about 65% non-Hispanic white, 15% non-Hispanic black, 12% Hispanic, and 5% non-Hispanic “other.” Because the numbers are so small for the non-Hispanic “other” category, this group is included in the total overall for males and females, but statistical comparisons are not performed separately for this racial grouping, nor are they grouped with another racial

Discussion

Consideration of the role of parents in an adolescent's life and their potential influence on teen's sexual behavior decision making is an important component of a comprehensive prevention strategy. Teenagers cite their parents as the most influential person in their lives when they make decisions about sex—more than their peers and the media [31]. However, some parents of teens underestimate the influence they have on their child's sexual behavior and believe that their children are more

Conclusion

The results of this study show that in 2002, fewer female adolescents received messages about birth control and STDs from their parents than they have had before. This reduction in parental sex education is coupled with the documented decrease in share of adolescents hearing about these topics in sex education classes during the same period. In the context of current increases in adolescent birth rates and high prevalence of STDs among adolescents, public health officials should be concerned

Acknowledgments

I have affirmed that everyone who was involved in the development of the study and the preparation of the manuscript has been listed. This manuscript is the result of a school project and did not have any external funding.

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