High School Adolescents' Perceptions of the Parent–Child Sex Talk: How Communication, Relational, and Family Factors Relate to Sexual Health

Abstract

This research focuses on how high school adolescents' (n = 159) perceptions of parent–adolescent communication about sex, including communication frequency, parent–child closeness, parents' communication competence and effectiveness, as well as the larger family environment relates to sexual risk-taking and permissive sexual attitudes. Findings show that perceived parental communication competence and effectiveness were the strongest negative predictors of adolescents' permissive sexual attitudes and sexual risk-taking, whereas peer communication frequency was a significant positive predictor. In contrast with previous research, adolescents' perception of parent communication frequency and family communication climate (e.g., conversation orientation and conformity orientation) was unrelated to adolescents' sexual risk.