High parental monitoring prevents adolescents from engaging in risky sexual practices in Harar, Ethiopia
This study examines parental styles and parent鈥揳dolescent sexual and reproductive health communications
Abstract
Background: Emerging findings have shown that high parental monitoring of adolescents鈥� sexual and reproductive health (SRH) communications between parents and adolescents and good parenting styles prevent adolescents from engaging in risky sexual practices.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the associations of parental monitoring, parent鈥揳dolescent SRH communications, and parenting styles with risky sexual practices among adolescents in Harar, Ethiopia.
Designs: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on adolescents aged 13鈥�18 who had sexual initiations. Adolescents who failed to use any contraceptive method and/or condom during last sexual intercourse and who experienced multiple sexual partners in the 12 months prior to the study were taken as 鈥榓t risk鈥�. In view of these, the adolescents risk count ranged from zero to three 鈥� greater number indicates higher count of risky sexual practices.
Results: 301 of 633 adolescents experienced one or more risky sexual practices. High parental monitoring compared to low decreases the Incidence Rate of engaging in risky sexual practices by 28%. Those who had a satisfactory level of SRH communications with their parents compared to poor communicators experianced less incidence rate of risky sexual practices which was marginal
Conclusions: A significant proportion of the adolescents engaged in one or more risky sexual practices. Importantly, high parental monitoring decreases the likelihood of these risky practices. Therefore, parents need to be encouraged to keep an eye on their young children.
This research is funded under the Department for International Development鈥檚 Strengthening Evidence for Programming on Unintended Pregnancy (STEP UP) which is led by the Population Council
Citation
Dessie, Y.; Berhane, Y.; Worku, A. High parental monitoring prevents adolescents from engaging in risky sexual practices in Harar, Ethiopia. Global Health Action (2014) 7: 25724. [DOI: 10.3402/gha.v7.25724]