Parent-teen communication and adolescent sexual behavior in Hawaii

Abstract

Preventing and reducing the number of teen1 pregnancies is an important public health policy goal in the United States. Hawaiʻi ranks 17th highest in teen pregnancy nationwide. The early onset of sexual behavior is the major factor in teenage pregnancy, and the sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The purpose of this three-study dissertation is to explore Hawaiʻi's teens' sex behaviors and their access to information about sex from parents and other reputable sources. Chapter 1 presents an overview of teens' sex behaviors, along with the conceptual framework and my three research questions. Chapter 2 presents a quantitative study examining the associations between self-reported sex behaviors and access to sex education from teens' school, a healthcare provider, their family, or non-parental adult among youth in grades 6-12 responding to the 2009 Hawaiʻi Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Chapter 3 presents analysis of a questionnaire administered to explore parental perceptions of teen sex behavior and parent-teen sex communication patterns in multi-ethnic Hawaiʻi. Chapter 4 presents the PhotoVoice qualitative study on teens' perceptions related to parental sex messages. Chapter 5 summarizes the findings and presents implications and conclusions. Findings suggest that teens that got information from parents or have a non-parental adult they can talk to about important things were less likely to report ever having had sex. School HIV/AIDS education was not associated with having had sex, perhaps because Hawaiʻi public schools do not adhere to a standard, evidence-based pregnancy and STD prevention program. Hawaiʻi parents believe that parents are responsible to talk to their child about sex and saw doctors, nurses, and schools as secondary, but major, sources of a teen's information about sex. Hawaiʻi youth appreciated their parents' efforts to communicate about sex and would like to learn about parents' perceptions and family values related to sex if the awkwardness could be lessened. Findings can inform the design of programs to prevent teens' from engaging in early onset of sex behavior as well as to promote parent-child communication about sex.