PARENTING, PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS, AND SEXUAL POSSIBILITY SITUATIONS AMONG URBAN AFRICAN-AMERICAN PREADOLESCENTS - PRELIMINARY FINDINGSAND IMPLICATIONS FOR HIV PREVENTION

This article examines associations among parenting, parent-child relat ionships, and children's exposure to sexual possibility situations. Af rican American families (N = 310) with preadolescent children were int erviewed regarding parenting, parent-child relations, and demographic history. Children were interviewed privately about their exposure to s exual possibility situations. Results revealed marginal effects of chi ld gender as well as effects of parent education and parent employment on children's exposure to sexual possibility situations. An interacti on effect indicated that parenting support may be a protective factor against exposure to sexual possibility situations among children whose mothers were adolescents at the time of their ist childbirth.