The relationship between parent‐child communication about sexuality and college students' sexual behavior and attitudes as a function of parental proximity

Abstract

Although some researchers have indicated that when parents are the main source of sex education, their adolescent children tend to engage in less pre? marital sexual activity (Lewis, 1973; Spanier, 1977) and are more Ukely to use birth control (Fox & Inazu, 1980; Furstenberg, 1971), more recently several authors have raised doubts about the extent of family influence on adolescent sexuaUty (DarUng & Hicks, 1982; Herceg-Baron & Furstenberg, 1982; New? comer & Udry, 1985). One reason for discrepant results may be that com? munication about sexuaUty has been measured in a variety of ways. Measures of family communication about sexuaUty used previously have either con? sisted of a count of the number of sexual topics discussed (e.g., Fox & Inazu; Lewis), the number of sexual messages conveyed (DarUng & Hicks) or a dichotomous response (yes or no) to one or more questions about family discus? sions of sexuaUty (e.g., Herceg-Baron & Furstenberg; Newcomer & Udry). It seems to be generaUy true that the researchers utilizing a measure with a greater range of values have been more Ukely to report a relationship between adolescent sexual behavior and family sexual discussions. One area in which there does seem to be a consistent difference between late adolescents who have talked to their parents about sex as opposed to those who have not is in the similarity of parents' and children's sexual attitudes. Fisher (1986,1987) reported that coUege students from high sexual communi? cation famiUes had sexual attitudes that were significantly more highly corre? lated with those of their parents than did subjects in this age group from low sexual communication famiUes. It is possible, however, that these findings were a function of the fact that most of these late adolescents were stiU residing with their parents. The greater number of influences to which students Uving away from home are exposed might tend to diminish or eUminate the relationship between farmly sexual communication and attitude similarity. However, SuUivan and SuUivan (1980) found that coUege students who Uved away from home exhibited increased affection, communication, and satisfaction with their parents. Leaving home may accelerate the second indi? viduation process that Blos (1967) has suggested occurs during adolescence.