Title: Parent-teen communication: toward the prevention of unintended pregnancies.

POPLINE Document Number: 079623

Author(s):

Jaccard J
Dittus P

Source citation:

New York, New York, Springer-Verlag, 1991. ix, 118 p. (Recent Research in Psychology)

Abstract:

Parent-teen communication has been underestimated in its impact on preventing unintended pregnancies. The goal of this monograph is to identify the methodological and conceptual weaknesses in past research and to apply these consideration in the analysis of data. The emphasis is on parent-teen communication about premarital sex and premarital pregnancy and the development of parent education programs. The focus is on what parents say and do to motivate their children to avoid premarital pregnancy. The scope of the problem of teenage pregnancy is viewed as well as the literature on parent-teen communication about birth control and premarital sexual intercourse. A sample of 210 couples from Albany, New York with a child between the ages of 12 and 16 years living with them was studied. Most were white, middle-class suburban households. Parental questionnaires assessed the reservations parents had in talking about not having premarital sex, opinions about teenage birth control and abstinence, and an expansive inventory of opinions, reasoning, evaluation, self-description, teenagers description, background, parenting practices, communication techniques, locus of control, family environment, and family relationships. Teen questionnaires evaluated their parents' ability to communicate and deal with their teens, education about sexual issues, their sexual behavior, and use of contraceptives. Conclusions in the correlation analysis, for instance, were that parent education programs are important in promoting responsible sexual behavior, in helping parents communicate and find an appropriate time to have a discussion, and in teaching parental social skills, effective reasoning, and guides in discussing permissible sex. Prior research has been biased toward teenagers' views, has used crude measures, and has not considered specific strategies or content in reasoning with teenagers or parental sexual views or context.

Keywords:

United States
Parents
Adolescents
Sex Education
Health Education
Communication
Family Relationships
Pregnancy, Unplanned
Adolescent Pregnancy
Premarital Sex Behavior
Contraceptive Usage
Attitude
Self-Perception
Parenting Education
Developed Countries
North America
Americas
Family Characteristics
Family and Household
Youth
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Education
Reproductive Behavior
Fertility
Population Dynamics
Sex Behavior
Behavior
Contraception
Family Planning
Psychological Factors
Perception