Parental influence on adolescent sexual behavior in high-poverty settings

Background: African American adolescents living in high-poverty urban setti ngs are at increased risk for early sexual initiation and sexually transmit ted diseases. Objective: To determine whether parental stategies to monitor their childre n's social behavior and to communicate with them about sexual risks help to reduce the initiation of risky sexual behavior and prevent the resulting a dverse health outcomes. Methods: To assess the viability of these strategies, we surveyed a stratif ied cross-section of African American children aged 9 to 17 years (N = 355) living in urban public housing. Talking computers were used to increase th e confidentiality and comparability of the interviews across the wide age r ange. Results: Children who reported high levels of parental monitoring were less likely to report initiating sex in preadolescence (aged less than or equal to 10 years) and reported lower rates of sexual initiation as they aged. C hildren who reported receiving both greater monitoring and communication co ncerning sexual risks were also less likely to have engaged in anal sex. Co mmunication was also positively related to the initiation of condom use and consistent condom use. The protective correlates of these parenting strate gies were independent of the type of guardian (mother vs other family membe r). Conclusion: Interventions with parents and other guardians to increase moni toring and communication about sexual risks seem to be promising health pro motion strategies for adolescents in high-risk settings.