Resources for Educators and Trainers

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This bibliography focuses on parent-child communication about sexuality issues for Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino, and Native American families. The bibliography includes curricula, pamphlets, booklets, research, videos, and music.

Parent-child communication materials for Latino families appear to be more prevalent than are materials for the other populations. As Latinos become a larger proportion of the population in the United States, many organizations are developing materials in Spanish. According to the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, Latinos in the United States are disproportionately infected and affected by AIDS.The female population is 8.4 percent Latino, yet Latinas constitute 21 percent of all women with AIDS.

Communication between parents and their children is increasingly important in today’s society. Research indicates that teens who talk with their parents about sexuality are more likely to delay the initiation of sexual intercourse and more likely to use contraception and protection when they become sexually active. Issues of sexuality are much larger than pregnancy prevention. Currently, one in four HIV infections in the United States occurs in people under the age of 21. Classic STDs such as gonorrhea and syphilis are increasing disproportionately among urban minority populations in the United States. Chlamydia, herpes, and genital warts appear to be rampant in the teen population. The threat that these diseases pose for adolescents, especially minority teens, is significant especially to future childbearing and relationships. Qualitative and quantitative communication between parents and their children is vital for adolescent well being and reduction of sexual risk-taking behaviors. Most teens tell us that they want their parents to talk to them, but unfortunately communication around issues of sexuality can be uncomfortable for many parents.

Numerous research studies have shown that increased parent-child communication leads to a raised awareness and reduction in risk taking behaviors.

• Parents who transmit clear messages about sexual conduct, the value of school, and the adverse consequences of risk-taking behaviors have teens who describe themselves as low frequency participants in risky behaviors.^1,2,3,4
• Teens who report previous discussions of sexual matters with parents are seven and a half times more likely to feel able to communicate with a partner about AIDS than those who have not had such discussions with parents.⁵
• A study of Hispanic teens found that 77 percent of pregnant females reported having their first sexual experience by the tenth grade, compared with less than 20 percent of the non-pregnant teens. Among these young women, pregnant teenagers had significantly poorer communication with their mothers than their non-pregnant peers.⁶
• Good relationships between adolescents and parents are consistently associated with positive emotional functioning and healthy self-esteem.^7,8
• In a national sample of parents, 54 percent reported never talking with their children about sex, 28 percent said discussions rarely occur, and five percent had discussions once a year.⁹
• A significant majority of children and parents report dissatisfaction with the quantity and quality of family discussions about sexual issues.⁹
• In a recent survey, 84 percent of women polled indicated that they needed help talking to their children about sex and less than two percent believe parents are doing an excellent job in educating their kids about sexuality.¹⁰
• According to a Center for Disease Control and Prevention update to a research study on patterns of condom use among adolescents, teens who never discussed condoms with their mother or who discussed condoms after initial sexual intercourse were three times less likely to use a condom than those who had better timed conversations.^2,11

Many organizations have materials pertinent to general sexuality issues, but few specifically relate to parent-child communication, thus revealing the need for further resource development in this area. There is a strong need for parent education and communication skills development to aid in the reduction of risk-taking behaviors that can lead to HIV/AIDS, and adolescent pregnancy.

References

1. Resnick MD, Bearman PS, Blum RW, Bauman KE, Harris KM, et al. Protecting adolescents from harm: findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health. JAMA 1997; 278(10):823-832.
2. Jaccard J, Dittus PJ, Gordon VV. Maternal correlates of adolescent sexual and contraceptive behavior. Family Planning Perspectives 1996; 28(4):159-165, 185.
3. Levy SR, Weeks K, Handler A, Perhats C, Franck JA, Hedeker D, et al. A longitudinal comparison of the AIDS-related attitudes and knowledge of parents and their children. Family Planning Perspectives 1995; 27(1):4-10, 17.
4. Miller BC, Norton MC, Fan X, Christopherson CR. Pubertal development, parental communication, and sexual values in relation to adolescent sexual behaviors. Journal of Early Adolescence 1998; 18(1):27-52.
5. Shoop DM, Davidson PM. AIDS and adolescents: the relation of parent and partner communication to adolescent condom use. Journal of Adolescence 1994; 17(2):137-148.
6. Adolph C, Ramos DE, Linton KLP, Grimes DA. Pregnancy among Hispanic teenagers: is good parental communication a deterrent? Contraception 1995; 51(5):303-306.
7. Flannery DJ, Torquati JC, Lindemeier L. The method and meaning of emotional expression and experience during adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Research 1994; 9(1):8-27.
8. Schoen C, Davis K, Collins KS, Greenberg L, Des Roches C, et al. The Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls. New York, NY: The Commonwealth Fund 1997.
9. Warren C. Perspectives on international sex practices and American family sex communication relevant to teenage sexual behavior in the United States. Health Communication 1992; 4(2):121-136.
10. Durex. Truth for Youth ‘97: A Campaign for Balanced Sexuality Education. Atlanta, GA: Author, 1997.
11. Miller KS, Levin ML, Whitaker DJ, Xiaohe X. Patterns of condom use among adolescents: the impact of mother-adolescent communication. American Journal of Public Health 1998; 88(10):1542-1544.