Parent-Adolescent Communication and Knowledge on Sexual and Reproductive Health Issues Among Adolescents: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study from Nepal

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescents as those between the ages of 10 and 19. Parent-adolescent communication is a fundamental process through which parents convey ideas, values, beliefs, expectations, information, and knowledge to their children. Parents are one of the primary stakeholders who plays important roles in protecting adolescents from risky sexual behaviors such as unsafe sex, unwanted pregnancy, substance use, and violence. Methodology: A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study using self- administered questionnaire was carried out in sundarharaincha municipality of koshi province among 265 adolescent participants. Simple random sampling was used for selecting schools while purposive sampling was used for participant selection. Excel and SPSS were being used for data coding, decoding, and statistical analysis. Findings: According to the survey, a minority of respondents (31.3%) had inadequate understanding of SRH issues, while the majority (68.7%) had appropriate knowledge of these issues. Additionally, the majority of respondents (70.2%) reported having a sufficient amount of communication with their parents regarding SRH difficulties, whereas the minority (29.8%) reported having a low degree of communication. Conclusion: The survey indicates that adolescents have a good understanding of sexual and reproductive health and effectively communicate with their parents about health-related issues. To improve parents’ adolescent communication, the study suggests conducting community awareness programs and creating a friendly environment between adolescents and parents.