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176223 Parental correlates of STD and pregnancy risk behaviors and outcomes among sexually active urban adolescents

Monday, October 27, 2008

Patricia J. Dittus, PhD , Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Christine J. De Rosa, PhD , Health Research Association, Los Angeles, CA
Emily Q. Chung, MPH, CHES , Health Research Association, Los Angeles, CA
Esteban Martinez , Health Research Association, Los Angeles, CA
Kathy Wong, MS , Health Research Association, Los Angeles, CA
Ric Loya , Health Education Programs, Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles, CA
Kathleen A. Ethier, PhD , Office of the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Peter R. Kerndt, MD, MPH , Sexually Transmitted Disease Program, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles, CA
Purpose: Family factors are related to delay of sexual debut among adolescents, however, less is known about whether parents play an important role in their children's risk behavior once they have initiated sexual activity and whether factors like closeness, communication and monitoring impact health outcomes like pregnancy and STD.

Methods: Students from randomly selected classrooms completed in-class surveys (N=10,487). Measures included demographics, sexual behaviors, pregnancy and STD history, parent-child relationship, communication about sex, and parental monitoring. Students who reported being sexually active were included in a series of multiple logistic regression analyses (n=3434), controlling for gender, grade, and race/ethnicity.

Results: Students who felt close with their parents had lower odds of having sex in the past three months (OR=.62; 95% CI = .48-.79) or of having ever been/gotten someone pregnant (OR=.58; 95% CI =.35-.97), whereas those who reported supportive communication had lower odds of having sex in the past three months (OR=.84; 95% CI=.72-.99), of having multiple lifetime sexual partners (OR=.71; 95% CI =.56-.91), or of having ever been/gotten someone pregnant (OR=.69; 95% CI =.49-.97). Student reports of monitoring knowledge and of rules about friends and dating were related in a protective fashion to all outcomes, with the exception of self reports of ever having an STD.

Conclusions: Parents play an important protective role in helping their adolescents avoid risk behaviors associated with STDs and pregnancy. Parent programs should stress the importance of supportive communication about sex, positive family relationships, and parental monitoring regardless of whether adolescents are sexually active.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify behaviors that put adolescents at risk for STDs and pregnancy. 2. Describe the associations between key family factors and adolescents' sexual risk behavior. 3. Recognize the importance of encouraging positive family relationships, supportive communication, and effective monitoring regardless of whether or not adolescents are sexually active.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Sexual Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am one of the primary investigators on the study and have years of experience conducting reserach on parental influences on adolescent sexual behavior
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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