Longitudinal Association Between Parenting Practices and Early Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Urban African American Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Gender

• NCJ Number: 216445
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 35 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 787-798
• Author(s): Chisina T. Kapungu; Grayson N. Holmbeck; Roberta L. Paikoff
• Date Published: October 2006
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This longitudinal study examined associations between parenting practices and early sexual risk behaviors among low-income African-American adolescents with a focus on the role of gender.

Abstract

Findings suggest that parental behavioral control, as reported both by the child and parent, is an important predictor of early adolescent sexual behaviors. However, these effects were moderated by gender. Boys were more likely than girls to exhibit an early onset of pre-sexual risk behavior, but they were particularly at risk in low parental control environments. On the other hand, girls were more likely to exhibit high risk pre-sexual behaviors in high control environments. In summary, higher levels of parental behavioral control served as a risk factor for girls and as a protective factor for boys. With respect to sexual intercourse, boys were more at risk than girls, but especially when reared in high warmth environments. The study offers a significant contribution to the existing literature by identifying parenting factors that may contribute to adolescent sexual behaviors among African-American families. The findings suggest that inconsistent findings in past work may be due to a failure to consider gender as a potential moderating factor. Previous research studies have shown that parenting practices and the quality of family relationships are related to adolescent sexual risk taking behaviors. However, most studies have been conducted with White, middle class, two-parent families who appear to be at less risk for sexual risk-taking behavior than ethnic minorities. The purpose of this study was to examine parental warmth and parental behavioral control as predictors of the onset of sexual behaviors among urban African-American youth. The study sample consisted of 274 African-American families, living in impoverished neighborhoods with high HIV rates. This participant sample participated in the CHAMP (Chicago HIV Prevention and Adolescent Mental Health Project) Family Study; a longitudinal project examining the role of family and mental health factors in HIV risk exposure during the transition to adolescence. Tables, figures, and references