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Why Can't We Just Talk About It?

An Observational Study of Parents' and Adolescents' Conversations About Sex

University of California, Santa Barbara, tafifi{at}comm.ucsb.edu

Andrea Joseph

University of California, Santa Barbara

Desiree Aldeis

University of California, Santa Barbara

This study examined how parents and adolescents talk about sex with each other and how that influences their anxiety and avoidance tendencies. When parents were receptive, informal, and composed during the conversations, their adolescents were less anxious and, in turn, were less avoidant. The child's perception of the parent's communication competence also predicted the child's anxiety, which influenced the child's avoidance. The quality of the relationship between the parent and the child also influenced how anxious and avoidant the child was during the conversation. Qualitative findings revealed that religiosity, the gender of the child, humor, peer groups, the parent's use of fear appeals, and whether the parent and child had an enmeshed relationship affected the nature of the conversations.

Key Words: parent-adolescent relationships • communication • sex • observational study • communication competence

Journal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 23, No. 6, 689-721 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0743558408323841


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