Teens Talking To Parents Promotes Safer Sex: 'What Parents Say About Sex Matters To Kids'

A new study suggests when parents, especially mothers, talk about sex and contraception with their teenagers, it promotes safer sex among teenagers, especially in case of girls.

According to a new study conducted by North Carolina State University researchers, parents (especially moms) talking with their children about sex may actually make their children practice safe sex and use condoms, reported the Examiner.

"Communicating about sex can be uncomfortable for both parents and teens, but these conversations are a critical component of helping teens make safe and healthy decisions," lead author Laura Widman, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, told HealthDay.

"What parents say to their kids about sex matters."

For the purpose of the study, Widman and her research team reviewed medical literature and collected data from 30 years of research. Their analysis included 52 studies involving more than 25,000 teens, and covered all teen reports of communication with one or both parents, as well as measures of safer sex practices.

The findings showed a small but significant positive effect of parent-adolescent sexual communication associated with safer sex behavior.

It was found that teenagers who had conversations about sex with their parents, were around 10 percent more likely to use condoms or other forms of contraception. In addition, the researchers found that the association between parent communication and teen contraceptive use was much greater for girls, especially if they' had the talk with their mothers,

Talks with mothers were found to be significantly more effective than talks with fathers, and the researchers found that communication about sex with fathers was not significantly linked with safer sex practices.

The researchers concluded that parent-adolescent sexual communication was a protective factor for youth. Parents and adolescents should not only talk about general sex topics, but they also need to be specific about it, particularly in regard to the use of contraceptives and condoms. These are the talks that are actually predictive in shaping these behaviors.

The study is published in the Journal JAMA Pediatrics.