R 7-3

06/04

ABSTRACT

HISPANIC ADOLESCENTS MAY BE AT GREATER RISK

FOR

UNINTENDED PREGNANCY AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES

Prepared by:   Rachel Neal, Ph.D.

                        333 HES

                        CEFCS-OSU

                        Stillwater, OK 74078-6111

                        405-744-6231

                        nrachel@okstate.edu

By Raffaelli, M., & Green, S., (2003). Parent-adolescent communication about sex: Retrospective reports by Latino college students. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 474.

OVERVIEW

Because Latinos have been understudied relative to other U.S. ethnic groups, including in the area of sexual communication, limited information is available for practitioners working to address issues of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among Latino populations.

Recent research findings:

• Parent-child communication about sexuality has been linked to Latino adolescents' sexual attitudes and behavior.
• Pregnant Latina teens reported lower levels of sexual communication with parents than did non-pregnant teens.
• Half of unmarried Latinos (18 to 49 years) report their parents had never talked to them about sex.
• Latino parents may prefer to use indirect communication strategies, such as making comments to other people in the child's hearing or telling children to "be careful" without going into detail.

METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS

Respondents consisted of students at four postsecondary institutions in a midwestern state (two state universities, one community college, and one private university). The sample was limited to respondents aged 25 and under (n = 166), including 97 female and 69 male students (average age = 21.4 years). Most respondents were unmarried (92%), Catholic (71%), and had been born in the U.S. (84%). When asked to select the ethnic term(s) that best described them, 42% chose Hispanic/Latino, 28% chose Mexican American, and the remainder Mexican (8%), Puerto Rican (4%), or another term (e.g., Chicano, Cuban, 17%).

Gender was a primary influence on the extent of parent-child communication. In general, mothers were more likely than fathers to communicate with their children about sexual issues, and daughters reported higher levels of communication than sons. These findings suggest that among U.S. Latinos, mother-daughter communication is more frequent than mother-son communication. Heightened levels of communication may be the result of parental education; over half of the parents of respondents in the current study had at least some college education. Moreover, maternal education was positively associated with the extent to which sons reported talking to mothers about sex, and paternal education predicted communication with both sons and daughters.

Parental national origin was associated with mother-daughter communication and with fathers' communication with both sons and daughters. Respondents whose parents were of Mexican origin reported less extensive communication about sexual issues than those whose parents were of non-Mexican origin. This finding suggests that something unique to Mexican culture may be operating and highlights the importance of examining variations within ethnic subgroups. Another intriguing finding was that having older brothers (but not sisters) at home while growing up was associated with lower levels of sexual communication with both parents. This may reflect a constraining influence of male children on family communication regarding sexuality.

Parents were more likely to discuss relationships and values as compared with sexual facts and protection. Topics such as birth control and sexually transmitted infections are less frequently discussed, perhaps because they require specialized knowledge or may lead to discussions about the parent's or the child's behavior.

SUMMARY

The current study builds on recent research about ethnically diverse families (McLoyd et al., 2000; Parke, 2000) by providing novel information about sexual communication in Latino families. Other research has consistently shown that Latino parents discuss sexual issues with their children less often than parents from other ethnic groups. Therefore, family communication may be an important factor to consider in risk reduction efforts with Latino populations.