Abstract
BackgroundThere is scanty evidence regarding the impact of parenting practices on young people’s sexual risk-taking in sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, the extent to which such practices have enduring consequences on adolescents and young adults is little documented. This study uses repeated measures of parent–child relationships, parental monitoring, and parent–child communication about sexual matters to shed some light in these two areas.MethodsThe analysis is based on time-dependent retrospective data on parenting practices which were retrieved from the Cameroon Family and Health Survey (CFHS). The study sample includes 447 sexually active and unmarried individuals aged 15–24 years old. Correlation analysis and multivariate logistic regressions are used.ResultsYoung males and females reported high levels of parental monitoring, moderate quality of parent–child relationships and low levels of parent–child communication on sexual matters. This study substantiates that the higher the quality of parent–child relationships, the lower the odds of young males having multiple sexual partners (0.63, p < 0.05), and the lower the odds of young females being sexually active (0.52, p < 0.10) or of having multiple sexual partners (0.64, p < 0.10) or of having occasional sexual partners (0.51, p < 0.05). Living with the biological father only was associated with higher odds of having multiple sexual partners (3.21, p < 0.10) and higher odds of occasional concurrent sexual partners (3.26, p < 0.10) among young males. Compared with their out-of-school counterparts, young males still enrolled in school were less likely to be sexually active in the last 12 months (0.33, p < 0.05) and less likely to have occasional concurrent sexual partners (0.57, p < 0.10), whereas young females still enrolled in school were more likely to be sexually active (2.25, p < 0.10) and less likely to use contraceptive consistently (0.36, p < 0.001).ConclusionsReproductive health programs and interventions for preventing young people’s risky sexual behaviors in sub-Saharan African settings must take into account the protective effects of parent–child relationships and the significance of parental monitoring over time.
Highlights
There is scanty evidence regarding the impact of parenting practices on young people’s sexual risk-taking in sub-Saharan Africa
The Cameroon Family and Health Survey (CFHS) was designed with a theoretical approach that considers that risk and protective factors for health behaviors should be understood from a dynamic viewpoint, so as to take into account the influences of changes in an individual’s family, social, and environmental contexts over the life course
Enduring influences of parenting practices on children’s sexual risk-taking behaviors during adolescence and young adulthood We found that parenting practices during early adolescence were not significantly associated with sexual risktaking behaviors in young ages among males
Summary
There is scanty evidence regarding the impact of parenting practices on young people’s sexual risk-taking in sub-Saharan Africa. Identifying protective factors against risky sexual behaviors among young people is Research is just beginning to document the effects of parental influences on adolescent and reproductive health behaviors and outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa, using longitudinal data on parenting practices, family histories and transition to adulthood [5]. Members and parents have been viewed as influential for children’s development and health outcomes, and parenting practices such as monitoring, support, and sexual communication between parents and adolescents, have been associated with children’s sexual behaviors [9,10]. Three main constructs of parenting practices have been consistently associated with children’s sexual behaviors: parent–child connectedness, parental monitoring, and parent–child communication on sexual and reproductive matters. There is evidence that child’s relations with father and mother are different, especially in respect of child’s gender
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