"They Mostly Preached Abstinence Which Didn't Work": Young Adults' Perception of Sex-Related Messages from Caregivers Prior to Initiation of Sex.
Arch Sex Behav
; 53(8): 3173-3186, 2024 Aug.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38914863
ABSTRACT
Parental communication about sex is an important aspect of sexual socialization. However, research has primarily focused on sexual communication's presence, frequency, or topics, with less research on the specific messages parents communicate. Further, few studies have differentiated between communication received before and after youth initiated sex. Therefore, in this paper, we coded open-ended survey responses to explore the sex-related messages young adults report receiving from their caregiver(s) before they began engaging in sex. As part of a larger study, 381 U.S. young adults (Mage = 21.0 years, SD = 2.0) completed an online survey and responded to an open-ended question about messages their caregiver(s) communicated before they began engaging in sex. Participants identified as cisgender women (62.2%), cisgender men (12.1%), and gender diverse (25.7%), and were primarily lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, or otherwise non-heterosexual (LGBQ+; 70.6%) young adults. Through thematic analysis, we identified six themes for caregivers' sex-related messages sex-restrictive, safety and consequences, no, negative, sex-positive, and informational messages. In addition, we found that messages varied by young adults' gender identity and sexual orientation. Our findings suggest that young adults may not receive proper education about healthy sexual relationships and demonstrate the need for interventions with caregivers, as well as sexual health resources for adolescents and young adults, particularly LGBTQ+ youth.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Conducta Sexual
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Arch Sex Behav
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos
Pais de publicación:
Estados Unidos