Parent-Adolescent Communication about sex in Morelos, Mexico: Does it affect sexual behavior?

Background: Communication between parents and adolescents about sexuality has been shown in some settings to increase condom use and decrease rates of sexual initiation. This has not been explored in Mexico.

Purpose: To identify and describe communication about sex between Mexican adolescents and their parents and its relation to condom use and age at first sexual intercourse.

Methodology: Cross-sectional study with self-administered questionnaires to first year students at 23 public high schools during 2006. Communication about sex was divided into 3 themes: biological aspects, risks associated with sexual behavior, and prevention. For sexually active adolescents, discussion timing was determined to have occurred prior to, or after sexual initiation. Analysis included logistic regression models stratifying by discussion timing.

Results: 5,592 questionnaires were analyzed. 24.2% men and 10.6% women reported being sexually active (p<0.00). 82.8% reported having spoken at least once, with at least one parent about sexual relations. Discussion about all themes was more common with mothers than with fathers. Discussions about risk and prevention prior to sexual initiation was associated with higher condom use at first sex (OR=1.94, CI 95%: 0.99, 3.7) and late discussion was associated with younger age at first sexual intercourse (<15) (OR=4, CI 95%: 2.15, 7.4).

Implications: Communication before onset of sexually activity about risk and prevention is positively associated with safe sex practices. In Mexico, improving adolescent-parent communication about sex is an underutilized and poorly studied strategy to decrease adolescent sexual risk behavior. Interventions should be directed at promoting early parent-adolescent communication about sex.