Book Description

Purpose: Adolescent sexual health is in the forefront of the nation’s health agenda. Parents can play a critical role in decreasing adolescent sexual risk taking behaviors and improving adolescent sexual health. Parent-adolescent sexual communication (PASC) has been shown to decrease the adolescent’s sexual risk taking behaviors, delay their sexual debut and decrease teenage pregnancies. This study reports on the attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge mothers perceive as barriers and facilitators of sexual communication with their adolescent daughters between the ages of 11-14 years old in a suburban Ohio community. Significance: Using Bandura’s self-efficacy theory to understand the attitudes, beliefs, and content knowledge of mothers of adolescent females can help shape potential interventions, increase compliance and improve outcomes. By identifying barriers and facilitators of mother-daughter sexual communication, providers can create effective interventions and implementation strategies to optimize PASC. Methods: A qualitative study was used to investigate mother-daughter sexual communication from the mother’s perceptions. A convenience sample of ten mothers of adolescents’ females were recruited via social media and fliers in the community and they participated in semi-structured, one-on-one interviews to answer the following research questions: 1. What are the attitudes, beliefs, and content knowledge of mothers of adolescent females in a suburban Ohio community? 2. What do mothers perceive as significant barriers to effective PASC with their adolescent daughters in a suburban Ohio community? 3. What do mothers perceive as significant facilitators to effective PASC with their adolescent daughters in a suburban Ohio community?. The transcripts were analyzed for categories and themes using the steps of Data Analysis and Interpretation outlined by Hesse-Biber and Levy. Results: Mother’s perceived their role as a primary resource of sexual health information and educator. The data revealed the mothers felt confident in their content knowledge and ability to answer any questions. Perceived barriers were lack of initiation of PASC by the adolescent and the mothers’ fear of causing discomfort and embarrassment to their daughter. Mothers perceived signs of puberty and scheduled school based health talks as facilitators to PASC. Discussion: Results of this study can help healthcare providers develop interventions that promote mother-daughter sexual communication. Healthcare providers can play a vital role in developing and implementing these interventions in practice and the community.