Relationship between adolescent–parental communication and initiation of first intercourse by adolescents

doi:10.1016/S1054-139X(00)00156-7

Journal of Adolescent Health

Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2001, Pages 41-45

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(00)00156-7 Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective: To examine the level of communication between parents and adolescents and correlate the findings with onset of sexual intercourse .

Methods: This was a 10-year longitudinal study. Subjects filled out questionnaires at the time of each health supervision visit. The data in this article were harvested at enrollment and at the 5-year point. Comparisons of adolescent–parental communication were first compared between the virginal and nonvirginal groups at the initiation of the study. The results were then confirmed by adding data from patients in the virginal group who converted over the first 5 years of the study to the nonvirginal group. Two hundred and three patients, aged 12–21 years, were studied from a pediatrician’s practice panel in Middleton, Wisconsin. The questionnaires inquired about grades and activities school, relationship with siblings and parents at home, and risk-taking behaviors involving alcohol, drugs, and sex with peers. Statistical analysis included the Student’s t-test to determine the mean difference between groups. Fisher’s exact test was used to evaluate the association of variables to the status of patients’ sexual activity at enrollment. Multiple logistic regression was conducted on the initial enrollment data to examine the association between the initial covariates and patients’ sexual status.

Results: During the initial survey, 172 enrolled patients were in the virginal group and 31 in the nonvirginal group. The virginal group had a higher rating of communication with their parents after adjusting for age (p < .001). To verify these findings, we examined an additional 29 patients in the virginal group who converted to nonvirginal status during the first 5 years of the study. We then compared the level of adolescent–parental communication between the subgroup who converted to nonvirginal status with the level of communication of the subgroup who remained virgins. Even after correcting for age, communication with the mother was significantly better in patients who maintained their virginal status (p < .01).

Conclusions: Teenagers who perceive that they have a better level of communication with their parents are less likely to engage in sexual intercourse.

Section snippets

Study location and personnel

This study was conducted at the University Hospital–Middleton Clinic, which is a satellite practice of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wisconsin. The clinic, which is free-standing, is located in Middleton, Wisconsin, and has been in operation since 1983. In addition to caring for pediatric patients, the clinic is the site of teaching programs for University of Wisconsin medical students and pediatric residents from University Hospital and Clinics.

Study patients

Two hundred and

Results

At the time of first query, the majority of the sexually active group were males (68%) and were white (97%). No differences between the virginal and nonvirginal groups were observed for variables concerning patients’ gender, race, parental marital status, number of children and position in the family, grades in school, or after-school activities. The mean duration of attending the clinic was slightly longer in the nonvirginal than virginal patients (10.7 vs. 8.4 years; p = .057). Differences

Discussion

The data obtained in this study show a correlation between the level of adolescent–parent communication, as perceived by the teenager, and abstinence of initiation of sexual intercourse. In the initial phase of the study, good communication with parents (and the father in particular) was positively correlated with abstinence (p < .01 for communication with fathers, p < .1 with mothers, and p < .01 with both parents). To determine whether the findings could be substantiated, an analysis of

Acknowledgements

The authors extend their gratitude to Dr. John Pascoe for his suggestions and help in editing the manuscript.

References (4)

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Female adolescents and onset of sexual intercourseA theory-based review of research from 1984–1994
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D.M. Siegel et al.
Self-reported honesty among middle and high school students responding to a sexual behavior questionnaire
J Adolesc Health
(1998)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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Original articleRelationship between adolescent–parental communication and initiation of first intercourse by adolescents