Communication about sex in the nuclear family and beyond: Implications for health

描述（由申请人提供）：这项拟议研究的需要取决于过早性行为的有害后果，以及八年级至九年级青少年性行为的关键增长，以及家庭性沟通减少这种危险行为的潜力。在这个过渡时期，很少有研究调查青少年父母之间的性交流，也很少有研究涉及不断变化的家庭人口统计，其中越来越多的家庭成员包括大家庭成员。本研究将纵向探索青少年-家庭性交流在过渡到高中期间的连续性和变化，将家庭性交流的父母-青少年二元研究扩展到更广泛的家庭网络，并探索这种交流与青少年性风险行为的联系。一项大规模、随机对照、纵向评价性教育项目（N=1682名早期青少年）的研究结果提供了初步证据。年级家庭性交流显著低于7年级。性行为发生的年级，并确定了报告的青少年性交流的大家庭参与程度高（8月69%）。在对32名青少年和家长进行的试点访谈研究中，也有类似的报告。拟议的研究将采用混合方法。(1)从八年级和九年级的调查中进行二次分析，研究青少年-父母性交流的内容、数量和质量如何预测青少年性行为的变化，并进一步探讨大家庭性交流及其与青少年性冒险的关系。定量调查结果将塑造访谈的内容。(2) 10日开始的初步访谈数据。年级学生和他们的父母（也在七年级时接受采访）。年级)和对被认为是青少年性交流重要来源的大家庭成员的访谈将探讨青少年家庭性交流的保护机制。7 .分析。和第十。年级访谈数据将允许调查青少年父母性交流的连续性和变化。通过对大家庭访谈的分析，可以横断面探讨青少年大家庭性交流的内容和过程。内容分析将涉及主题的开发、编码和解释。拟议的研究将根据青少年和家庭角色在高中阶段的变化以及大家庭成员在青少年性交流中的参与，为性教育项目提供建议。它还将指导医生、护士、咨询师和其他卫生保健提供者如何指导父母和大家庭成员与青少年谈论性问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The need for the proposed study rests on the harmful consequences of early sexual debut alongside the pivotal increase in teen sexual behavior from 8th to 9th grade and the potential of family communication about sex to reduce this risky behavior. Few studies investigate teen-parent sexual communication during this transitional time or address the changing family demographics, which increasingly include extended family members. The proposed work will longitudinally explore continuity and change in teen-family sexual communication over the transition to high school, extend parent-teen dyadic studies of family sexual communication to encompass broader family networks, and explore the associations of such communication with teen sexual risk behavior. Findings from a large-scale, randomized control, longitudinal evaluation of a sex education program (N=1682 early adolescents) provide preliminary evidence that 6th. grade family sexual communication significantly predicts lower 7th. grade onset of sexual behavior, and identified high levels of reported extended-family involvement in teen sexual communication (69% in 8th. grade), with similar reports from a pilot interview study of 32 teens and parents. The proposed study will take a mixed method approach. (1) Secondary analysis from 8th and 9th grade surveys will examine how the content, quantity, and quality of teen-parent sexual communication predict change in teen sexual behavior, and will additionally explore extended-family sexual communication and its associations with teen sexual risk-taking. Quantitative findings will shape the content of interviews. (2) Primary interview data from 10th. grade students and their parents (also interviewed when teens were in 7th. grade) and interviews with extended-family members identified as important sources of teen sexual communication will explore the protective mechanisms for teen-family sexual communication. Analysis of 7th. and 10th. grade interview data will allow for investigation of continuity and change in teen-parent sexual communication. Analysis of extended-family interviews will cross-sectionally explore the content and process of teen-extended-family sexual communication. Content analysis will involve developing, coding, and interpreting of themes. The proposed study will produce recommendations for sex education programs based on changing adolescent and family roles over the transition to high school and involvement of extended family members in teen sexual communication. It will also direct physicians, nurses, counselors, and other health care providers on how to guide parents and extended-family members in talking with teens about sexual issues.