The effect of communication characteristics on family members' perceptionsof parents as sex educators

We studied parents' and teenagers' evaluations of parents as sex educators; the convergence between mothers', fathers', and teens' evaluations; and co mmunication factors that influenced these evaluations. Surveys, administere d to 209 10th graders, 156 mothers, and 91 fathers, assessed global evaluat ion of parents as sex educators, diverse dimensions of general and sexual c ommunications, and frequency of sex-related communications in 4 domains. We found that teens evaluated mothers more positively than they evaluated fat hers, daughters evaluated mothers more positively than did sons, and parent s evaluated themselves more positively than did their children. There was s ignificant mother-teen correspondence but not father-teen correspondence in evaluations. In separate regression analyses, frequency of sex-related com munications and the quality of general and sex-related communications each predicted evaluations of mothers. In a combined regression analysis, the qu ality of general and sex-related communications influenced teens' evaluatio ns of their mothers and mothers' evaluation of themselves. Frequency of sex -related communications also influenced mothers' evaluations of themselves as sex educators but not teens' evaluations. Different communication factor s predicted teens' and fathers' evaluations of fathers as sex educators. Fi ndings suggest that to improve the effectiveness of parents as sex educator s, we should help them improve their general communication skills.