Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107309

Kathleen A. Ethier, PhD¹, Patricia J. Dittus, PhD², Christine J. De Rosa, PhD³, Mark A. Schuster, MD, PhD⁴, Pamela Anderson-Mahoney, PhD³, and Peter Kerndt, MD, MPH⁵. (1) Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Mailstop E44, Atlanta, GA 30303, 404-639-8299, kbe0@cdc.gov, (2) Division of Adolescent and School Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS K-33, Atlanta, GA 30341, (3) Health Research Association, 3580 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1660, Los Angeles, CA 90010, (4) Department of Pediatrics, UCLA, Box 951752, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1752, (5) Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Sexually Transmitted Disease Program, 2615 So. Grand Avenue Rm 500, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Purpose: The relationship between parental monitoring and adolescent behavior is well established. Less is known about monitoring strategies and their effectiveness. Stattin and Kerr suggest that parents monitor through parental control, solicitation of information, and youth disclosure, which increase parents' knowledge of youth activity leading to decreased risk behavior. However, it is unclear how these strategies impact sexual behavior. Our study examined these strategies and other factors from the adolescent perspective and assessed their impact on sexual activity.

Methods: We collected self-administered classroom-based surveys from 584 students (78% Latino, 17% African-American, 5% Other) from six public high schools in the Los Angeles area.

Results: Youth sexual activity was significantly associated with after-school supervision (b=.10, p<.01), parental control (b=-.34, p<.001), and parental knowledge (b=-.16, p<.001), explaining 30% of the variance. Parental control, solicitation of information, youth disclosure, and parent-child relationship satisfaction were significantly related to parental knowledge (F (8,520) =78.897, p<.001), explaining 54% of the variance. Relationship satisfaction related significantly to disclosure (b=.27, p<.001). Parental knowledge mediated the relationship between youth disclosure and sexual activity.

Conclusions: Adolescents' perceptions of parental knowledge about their activities, family rules about social activities, and supervision are significantly associated with sexual behavior. Youth perceive their parents to be knowledgeable when parents ask about activities and provide rules, and when youth are satisfied with parent-child relationships, which increases their disclosure. These results could inform interventions to help parents effectively monitor their adolescents and decrease sexual activity.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, the participant in this session will be able to

• Describe the effect of parental monitoring on adolescent sexual behavior;
• Develop ideas for parental monitoring interventions

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Intervention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.