Understanding and improving sexual risk communication among Latina intergenerational immigrant and non immigrant family dyads

The effects of cultural and intergenerational dissonance between immigrant parents raising adolescents who have lived predominantly within the U.S. are not often considered when developing programs to reduce sexual risk among Latinos. In an effort to better understand the effects of adolescent acculturation and immigrant parent communication, age-specific focus groups were held with 66 Latina women and adolescents ranging from 12 to 91 years. Furthermore, a number of community health worker-led charlas or educational sessions have been held to administer an intervention involving over 200 Latina intergenerational female family dyads. Verbatim focus group transcripts and notes taken from the educational sessions have been combined with interviews of the community health workers to learn about the differences and similarities in communication styles and patterns within Latina family members of different generations. Qualitative content analyses were conducted to determine ways in which the following factors inhibit or promote sexual risk communication: cultural values, gender roles, cultural expectations, experiences in the home country and in the US, relationship histories, acculturation, and expectations regarding heterosexual relationships. These analyses will provide a greater understanding of how to work in a culturally congruent fashion with diverse Latino families wherein members have distinct life experiences and expectations. Moreover, participants will gain insight as to how to promote Latino cultural values within community health programming, and then use this understanding to mitigate sexual risk and enhance interfamilial relationships to promote sexual and reproductive health within Latino families and communities.