Discussion
This paper will discuss the article “Teens Talking with Their Partners About Sex: The Role of Parent Communication.” It was written by Hicks, McRee, and Eisenberg in 2013 and published in the American Journal of Sexuality Education (Hicks et al., 2013). The article investigated how parent-teen communication is connected with the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancy. The researchers hypothesized that teenagers whose parents became “the main source of information about sex” for them “are more likely to discuss STI and pregnancy prevention with their sexual partners” (Hicks et al., 2013, p. 4). The authors considered that a high level of general parent-child communication also encourages adolescents to discuss sexual risks with their partners.
Methods
The study used data from the 2010 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS), an anonymous survey conducted every three years throughout Minnesota schools. The MSS covers areas relevant to the study that are the communication of students with parents, sexual behavior, and communication with sexual partners. The study sample included only teenagers who reported sexual activity, the number of which amounted to 24,781. The age range of students was from 13 to 19 years old.
The communication of teenagers with their partners was evaluated with the help of the following questions: “Have you talked with your partner(s) about protecting yourselves from getting sexually transmitted diseases/HIV/AIDS?” and “Have you talked with your partner(s) about preventing pregnancy?” (Hicks et al., 2013, p. 5). The researchers excluded students with the middle response “not with every partner” to compare only the recommended behavior (the response “at least once with every partner”) and the risky behavior (the response “never”). General parent-teen communication was evaluated with the help of the question “Can you talk to your a) father b) mother about problems you are having?” (Hicks et al., 2013, p. 5). A parent-teen conversation about sex was analyzed through the item “Where have you received most of your information about sex?” (Hicks et al., 2013, p. 6).
The authors also used the MSS data regarding school connectedness and future education plans of students, considering them as protective factors. In addition, they indicated the number of sex partners as the risk factor. In the survey, students could specify their race/ethnicity and respond to whether they get free or reduced-price lunch at school. Thus, to evaluate the relationship between general parent-teen communication and teen-partner communication, the researchers used logistic regression. For conversations with partners about STI and pregnancy, different models were used and adjusted for factors that are believed to affect teen-partner risk discussion.
Results
According to the findings, most students reported a high level of general parent-teen communication. Less than half of both males and females stated that they learned information about sex from their parents (Hicks et al., 2013). In general, most respondents reported always discussing sexual risk prevention with their partners. The results showed a direct relationship between general parent-teen conversations and talking with sexual partners about risk prevention. Both males and females communicating much with their mothers or fathers had greater odds of discussing with partners STI and pregnancy prevention (Hicks et al., 2013). The same findings were indicated for students having their parents as a source of information about sex. The study also demonstrated the relationship between the level of teenagers’ communication with their partners and protective factors, risk factor, and sociodemographic characteristics. A high level of school connectedness and a future education plan showed a positive influence on teen-partner communication, while the risk factor (multiple partners) affected it negatively.
Based on the results, the researchers concluded that general parent-teen communication has even greater significance than specific conversations about sex. Nevertheless, the discussion of sexual risks is also of high importance. As many students responded having no communication about sex with their parents, the authors emphasize the implication of the study for sexual educators. Study findings may be useful for sexuality education programs, both involving and not involving parents. They can help promote parent-child communication or provide tools for teens to initiate a conversation with their partners.
A Personal Reflection and Critique
The article represented a deep and meaningful investigation of the issue. One may agree that the study had a large sample and analyzed not only the main aspects but also factors indirectly affecting the problem, such as protective and risk factors. Representing one of the main parenting issues, the study has a great implication for practice. It is also significant that the article highlights and proves the importance of general parent-teen communication and, therefore, trusting relationships between parents and children.
However, for a deeper understanding of the issue, it seems crucial to expanding the question about sources of information about sex. The students reported whether they discussed sex with their parents, but the content and nature of these conversations are unknown. It does not allow us to talk for sure about parents always having a positive role in children’s sex education. It is possible to assume that some parents may instill negative or wrong attitudes about sex to their children. For investigating this issue, it would be helpful to ask students to provide detailed answers about what they learned from their parents regarding sex, STIs, and pregnancy. In this regard, it would have required conducting a new survey, as the MSS data can represent only general information on this subject. In addition, a new survey would have allowed expanding the sample in terms of the territory, as the MSS includes only Minnesota students, which limits the study. The survey could have had an online format, or it would have been possible to ask schools from different states for assistance.
Reference
Hicks, M. S., McRee, A. L., & Eisenberg, M. E. (2013). Teens talking with their partners about sex: The role of parent communication. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 8(1-2), 1-17.