MATERNAL CORRELATES OF ADOLESCENT SEXUAL AND CONTRACEPTIVE BEHAVIOR

Maternal disapproval of premarital sex, maternal discussions about bir th control and the quality of the parent-child relationship may have a n important influence on adolescents' sexual activity and the consiste ncy of their contraceptive use. Findings from a survey of 751 black yo uths showed that adolescent perceptions of maternal disapproval of pre marital sex and satisfaction with the mother-child relationship were s ignificantly related to abstinence from adolescent sexual activity and to less-frequent sexual intercourse and more consistent use of contra ceptives among sexually active youths. Teenagers who reported a low le vel of satisfaction with their mother were more than twice as likely a s those highly satisfied with their relationship to be having sexual i ntercourse. Discussions about birth control were associated with an in creased likelihood that adolescents were sexually active. Such discuss ions were not significantly related to consistent contraceptive use fo r female adolescents, but were associated with increased contraceptive use for male teenagers.