Parent-adolescent Communication Research Articles

Associations of Adolescents' Excessive Electronic Device Use, Emotional Symptoms, Sleep Difficulty, and Communication with Parents: Two-wave Comparison in the Czech Republic.

Adolescents’ excessive electronic device use is associated with psychological problems. However, it is unknown which psychological symptom, including emotional symptoms and sleep difficulty, correlates with excessive electronic device use most strongly. Besides, according to the social displacement theory, parent–adolescent communication might mediate the relationship between excessive electronic device use and psychological symptoms. Using the Czech national survey Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) data in the years 2006 (n = 4782) and 2014 (n = 5082), we used network analysis to explore the relationship between psychological symptoms and excessive electronic device use. In addition, we conducted a mediation analysis to examine the role of parent–adolescent communication. The results revealed that excessive electronic device use correlated most strongly with adolescents’ irritability or bad temper, and this conclusion was stable in 2006 and 2014. In 2014, parent–adolescent communication mediated the relationship between adolescents’ excessive electronic device use and their psychological symptoms. The findings suggest that as the internet industry grows, it is essential to improve parent–adolescent communication quality to prevent adolescents’ psychological problems caused by excessive electronic device use.

Motivations for engaging in or avoiding conversations about weight: Adolescent and parent perspectives.

Little is known about parent and adolescent motivations for engaging in weight communication. To assess parent and adolescent motivations for engaging in, or avoiding, weight communication, and whether these reasons differed across sex, race/ethnicity, weight, and engagement in weight management. Independent samples of parents (N=1936) and unrelated adolescents (N=2032) completed questionnaires assessing their agreement with different reasons they engage in, or avoid, parent-adolescent weight communication, using 7-point Likert scales (strongly-disagree to strongly-agree). Parents, irrespective of sex, race/ethnicity, and child's weight status, expressed stronger motivations for engaging in weight communication in order for their child to feel good about his/her weight and body size compared to being motivated because a health professional raised their child's weight as a concern. Adolescent motivations for weight communication with parents stemmed from health concerns and worry about their weight; avoidance stemmed from feeling embarrassed, upset, or not wanting to obsess about weight. Differences emerged across sex and race/ethnicity but were most pronounced by weight status and weight management. Parents and adolescents have different motivations for engaging in or avoiding weight communication. Protecting adolescents' emotional wellbeing and body esteem are viewed as reasons for both engaging in or avoiding weight communication.

Peran Kontrol Diri sebagai Mediator Hubungan Komunikasi Efektif Orang Tua Remaja dengan Agresivitas Remaja

Aggressiveness is one of the most critical problems in adolescents in their relationships with other people. Various factors that influence adolescent aggressiveness include effective parent- adolescent communication and self-control. However, there is still limited research examining the effect of effective parent-adolescent communication on adolescent aggressive behavior, especially mediated by self-control. This study aimed to determine the effect of effective parent-adolescent communication on adolescent aggressiveness mediated by self-control. The participants of this study were 228 high school students, middle adolescence (15-18 years). Data were collected using the Parent-Adolescent Effective Communication Scale, Aggressiveness Scale, and Self-Control Scale. The hypotheses were tested using mediation analysis using the JASP statistical program. The results showed that self-control partially mediated the relationship between effective parent-adolescent communication on adolesent aggressiveness. Furthermore, parents’ communication with adolescent girls was more likely to be open than with boys. These results can be a reinforcement that effective parent-adolescent communication plays an important role in the development of a child from an early age because it supports the development of self-control and behavior of children.

Influence of Parent-Adolescent Direct and Indirect Communication About Sexuality on Adolescents’ Early Sexual Activity

Communication between parents and adolescents is important, especially concerning sexuality because it affects adolescent’s identity formation and role taking. When parents give limited information to their adolescents about sex, the adolescents are unable to cope with socio-psychological and physiological changes that come up at puberty. Approximately 50% to 70% of adolescents are sexually active between the ages of 13 to 17 years and almost 90% by the age of 18 years. This early sexual activity puts adolescents at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies as they do not have sufficient information on sexuality. The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of parent-adolescent communication about sexuality on early sexual activity among Form Two students in Rongai Sub - County, Nakuru County, Kenya. The research was guided by the social learning theory and Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). The study used descriptive survey research design. The study was conducted in Rongai Sub - County, Nakuru County. Rongai Sub- County has 65 secondary schools in four divisions with a total of 4,414 Form Two students. Proportionate, purposive, stratified and random sampling techniques were used to select participants. From a population of 4,414, a sample of 351 students participated in the study. Data were collected using questionnaires and Focus Group Discussion. Experts from the Department of Psychology, Counselling and Educational Foundations were consulted to assess the face validity of the instruments. The reliability was determined by conducting a pilot study in Secondary schools at Njoro Sub-County. The reliability of the questionnaires was estimated using Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient where any value above 0.70 was accepted. For this study, reliability coefficient test yielded an alpha value of 0.85, which was further triangulated using multiple sources of data on study phenomenon. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (Means, Percentages and Frequencies) and inferential (Chi square) statistics with the help of the latest statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. The findings indicated that majority of the adolescents (72%) 234 had received communication from their parents/guardians about early sexual activity while (28%) 76 had not received communication regarding early sexual activity. The findings of the study revealed that there existed a significant relationship between the parent communication and early sexual activity among the adolescent (r = 0.271, p=.000, p<0.05). The positive correlation between communication and sexual activity suggested that that the higher the parental communication and guidance and counseling the lesser the involvement on early sexual activity. This study found out that majority of parents used direct methods when communicating with their adolescents. This study established that most of the parent-adolescent communication on sexuality was based on physical changes, personal hygiene, abstinence, abortion, and saying “no” to forced sex. Majority (72%) 224 of the adolescent occasionally discussed early sexual matter with their parents thus many cases of early sexual activity, teenage pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. From the Focus group discussion, many parents expressed discomfort discussing sexual topics/activity with adolescents. Parents were protective of their girls than the boys when discussing issues on sexuality. These findings are expected to be useful in assisting all stakeholders to come up with intervention programs that may assist adolescents deal with early sexual activity in schools and society. Keywords: Adolescent, Parent, Indirect Communication, Sexuality, Early Sexual Activity DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-20-01 Publication date: July 31 st 2022

Family functioning within the context of families with adolescent children in urban India.

Research on family functioning within given cultural contexts is needed. This study aims to describe salient dimensions of family functioning in two urban contexts in India and to examine differences in family functioning by sociodemographic groups. We measured differences in family functioning using cross-sectional survey questionnaire data collected from 13 to 15-year-old adolescents and one of their parents/primary caregivers in Mumbai (n=843) and Kolkata (n=913) during 2019-2020. We drew a multi-stage sample representative of neighborhoods and households in both cities. We assessed a multi-dimensional family functioning latent factor that included parent-reported measures (parent-adolescent communication, family cohesion, and parent monitoring of peers) and adolescent-reported measures (parent support, family cohesion, and parent supervision). Our results support an overall measure of family functioning manifested by multiple dimensions for parent- and adolescent-reported data. Families with male adolescents had worse adolescent-reported family functioning in Mumbai and parent-reported family functioning in Kolkata. Higher socioeconomic status was associated with better parent-reported family functioning in both cities and better adolescent-reported family functioning in Kolkata. Muslim religious identification in Kolkata and the Hindi native language in both cities were associated with better adolescent-reported family functioning. Our findings indicate heterogeneity in family functioning across demographic and social-cultural groups within the two urban contexts of India. This study may inform the development of culturally congruent prevention interventions for families with adolescents in India.

Study protocol for a mixed-design evaluation of self-assured parents – A parenting support program for immigrant parents living in deprived areas in Sweden with teenage children

BackgroundImmigrant parents of adolescents experience challenges in their role as parents in the new country and express a need for parental support. Still, they are underrepresented in existing parenting programs and when they do attend, their parenting practices improve less than what they do among native parents. Self-assured parents (SAP; Swe. Trygga Föräldrar) targets immigrant parents living in deprived areas in Sweden who worry about their adolescents' adjustment. This study's purposes are to examine if SAP is a feasible intervention in Swedish municipalities and if SAP is effective in reaching its aims, namely to promote parental self-efficacy and parent-adolescent communication and to reduce parents' worries in the target group. MethodsSAP will be evaluated when implemented by social workers in three Swedish municipalities using a culturally-informed mixed design procedure. Parents will be recruited to the program by local social workers. Groups leaders will be interviewed, observed, and they will fill out self-reports to measure implementation quality, including fidelity and acceptability. A group of parents will be interviewed to better understand their perceived challenges and needs in their parenting in Sweden and their experience of participating in SAP. An interrupted time series design with three measurements before, two measurements during, and two measurements after the intervention has ended will be employed using self-reports of parental self-efficacy, parent-child communication, and parents' worries. Informed consent will be collected from all study participants. DiscussionImmigrant parents living in deprived areas is an understudied and marginalized population. There is a lack of culturally-informed, evidence-based parenting programs aimed at this group in Sweden. The need for specifically developed programs for immigrant parents living in deprived areas with teenage children, has been voiced by both immigrant parents themselves and the Swedish government. Thus, this study will contribute not only to the scientific literature, but also to social service practice and potentially policy making.

The Relationship Between Parent-Adolescent Communication and Depressive Symptoms: The Roles of School Life Experience, Learning Difficulties and Confidence in the Future

PurposeAdolescent depression has become a public health issue in China. Family environment and school life play important roles in shaping adolescent mental health. Our study aimed to examine the effect of parent-adolescent communication, school-life experiences, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future on depressive symptoms. We also examined the mediating effects of school-life experiences, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future on the relationship between parent-adolescent communication and depressive symptoms.MethodsData on depressive symptoms, parent-adolescent communication, and mediating variables were obtained from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), including baseline data (2013–2014) and follow-up data (2014–2015). Mixed-effect models were used to evaluate the effects of parent-adolescent communication, school-life experiences, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future on depressive symptoms, and path analyses were performed to determine the mediating roles of school-life experiences, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future on the relationship between parent-adolescent communication and adolescent depressive symptoms.ResultsMore father-adolescent communication, better school-life experiences, and higher confidence in the future were protective factors for depressive symptoms among all boys and girls, and learning difficulties were a risk factor for depressive symptoms among all boys and girls. School-life experiences, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future had statistically significant mediating effects on the relationship between parent-adolescent communication and depressive symptoms.ConclusionMore father-adolescent communication, higher confidence in the future, better school-life experiences, and fewer academic difficulties were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. Both mother-adolescent communication and father-adolescent communication affected depressive symptoms through their effects on school-life experience, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future. This finding highlighted the importance of parent-adolescent communication and its impact on depression.

The Relations of Chinese Middle School Students’ Shadow Education Stress and Subjective Well-being: The Moderating Roles of Parent-Adolescent Communication

본 연구는 중국 중학생의 사교육스트레스와 주관적 안녕감의 관계를 살펴보고, 부모-자녀 의사소통방식이 그 관계를 어떻게 조절하는지를 검증하고자 수행되었다. 연구대상은 중국 저장성 온주시 중학교 재학생 293명이었으며, 사교육스트레스와 주관적 안녕감의 관계 및 부모-자녀간의 의사소통의 조절효과를 검증하기 위해 위계적 중다회귀분석을 실시하였다. 연구결과, 첫째, 사교육스트레스와 주관적 안녕감의 하위요인 효능안녕, 정서안녕, 관계안녕은 모두 통계적으로 유의한 부적 관련성을 나타내었다. 둘째, 부모-자녀 의사소통의 조절효과 분석에서 부모-자녀 간 개방형 의사소통이 높을수록 사교육스트레스와 주관적 안녕감의 부적관계가 약화되고, 부모-자녀 간 문제형 의사소통이 높을수록 사교육스트레스와 주관적 안녕감의 부적 관계가 강화되는 효과가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 이와 같은 결과를 바탕으로 중국 중학생의 사교육스트레스와 주관적 안녕감의 관계에서 부모-자녀 간 다양한 의사소통의 조절효과를 탐색하는 것이 어떠한 시사점을 주는지 제시하였고, 본 연구의 결과가 사교육이 확산되는 중국의 교육 현장과 중국 학부모들에게 전달할 수 있는 교육적 의의에 관하여 논의하였다.

The BOOST paediatric advance care planning intervention for adolescents with cancer and their parents: development, acceptability and feasibility

BackgroundAlthough advance care planning (ACP) has been widely recommended to support patient and family engagement in understanding the patient’s values, preferences and goals of care, there are only a few models in paediatric oncology that capture ACP as a process of behaviour change. We aimed to develop and test the acceptability and feasibility of BOOST pACP (Benefits of Obtaining Ownership Systematically Together in paediatric Advance Care Planning) – an intervention to improve ACP in adolescents with cancer, their parents and paediatric oncologists.MethodsSeveral methods informed the intervention development process: 1) Problem identification: interviews with 11 healthcare professionals working in paediatric oncology; 2) Identification of evidence: literature review of existing pACP tools and barriers and facilitators in performing pACP; 3) Logic model and 4) Intervention design: collaborative expert meetings with researchers and professionals in pACP; 5a) Acceptability test of the materials: interviews with nine healthcare professionals, four adolescents and young adults with cancer and six parents; 5b) Feasibility test of core intervention components with three families, including interviews about their experiences.ResultsThe BOOST pACP intervention was iteratively developed and adapted, based on feedback from families, healthcare professionals, and pACP experts (e.g., components were changed, deleted, and added; formulation of themes and associated questions were amended to enhance acceptability). The core components of the BOOST pACP intervention include: four ACP conversation sessions with the adolescent and/or parent(s) provided by a trained facilitator, structured by interactive conversation cards covering different ACP themes, followed by a transfer of information from the intervention facilitator to the paediatric oncologist. Core intervention components were deemed feasible by all participating families.ConclusionThe BOOST pACP intervention was developed by close involvement of both adolescent patients and their parents, healthcare professionals and pACP experts. The final intervention and supporting materials are considered appropriate and feasible. Its effectiveness in improving parent-adolescent communication on ACP themes is currently being tested in a multi-centre randomised controlled trial. Researchers aiming to develop a complex psychosocial intervention for a vulnerable target group could use the step-by-step approach described in this paper.

Communication between Adolescents and their Parents on Sexual Risk-Taking Behaviours and Facilitating factors in Rwanda

BackgroundYounger generation engages in sexual activities that often result in early pregnancies, unsafe abortions, sexual abuse, and sexually transmitted infections. Parent-adolescent communication could be a sustainable solution to improved adolescent reproductive health.ObjectiveTo determine factors facilitating adolescent communication with the parents on sexual risk-taking behaviours.Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used with a sample of 199 adolescents. A self-administered questionnaire through a simple random sampling technique was employed, and participation was voluntary. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (IBM-Version 21). ResultsThe adolescents who never spoke to their mothers on sexual risk activities were 20.1%. The factors that facilitated adolescent communication with their parents about sex risk behaviours were: age of adolescents (r = -0.166, p = 0.023), living arrangement of adolescents (r = 0.147, p = 0.045), Having home mate brothers and sisters (r = 0.142, p = 0.05) and living with grandparents (r = 0.220, p = 0.003). ConclusionParents’ time to interact with their adolescent children was insufficient. There are numerous factors that positively and negatively influence parent-adolescent communication on sexual risk behaviors. General communication was found to be an important facet and a strategy to conveying reproductive and sexual issues to adolescents by the parents
 Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2022;5(1):20-33

Parents' Sources of Adolescent Sexual Health Information and Their Interest in Resources From Primary Care.

To examine sources of information used by parents to facilitate parent-adolescent communication about sexual and reproductive health (SRH), parents' preferences for receiving SRH information through primary care, and factors associated with parents' interest in primary-care-based SRH information (ie, resources recommended or offered in the primary care setting). In this cross-sectional study, a nationally representative sample of 11-17-year-old adolescents and their parents (n=1005 dyads) were surveyed online; 993 were retained for these analyses. Parents were asked about their use of 11 resources to help them talk with their adolescents about SRH and rated the likelihood of using specific primary-care-based resources. We used multivariable logistic regression to examine characteristics associated with parent interest in primary-care-based SRH resources. Only 25.8% of parents reported receiving at least a moderate amount of SRH information from primary care; half (53.3%) reported receiving no SRH information from their adolescent's provider. Parents received the most information from personal connections (eg, spouse/partner, friends). Most parents (59.1%) reported being likely to utilize a primary-care-based resource for SRH information. Parents who previously received SRH information from primary care sources had greater odds of reporting they would be likely to utilize a primary-care-based resources (AOR=4.06, 95% CI: 2.55-6.46). This study provides insights into parents' sources of information for communicating with their adolescents about SRH and ways primary care practices might increase support for parents in having SRH conversations with their adolescents. Future studies are needed to establish clinical best practices for promoting parent-adolescent communication about SRH.

The Influence of Open Parental Communication Ability and Child Ego Resiliency on Children’s Anger Expression: A Study on Children in Crisis

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore variables related to children’s anger expression and prevent improper style of anger expressing style, which provides theoretical data in developing programs to train children to express anger appropriately. Method: The survey was conducted self-reporting among 862 students in 5th and 6th grades from 5 elementary schools in D city. These collected data using STAXI-K(State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory), PACI(Parent-Adolescent Communication Inventory), and ER (Ego-Resiliency Scale), were statistically processed and analyzed based on SPSS24.0 and AMOS 24.0. Results: The results were as follows: First, parental open communication ability and children s ego resiliency di-rectly affect their anger expression(anger-out) and suppression(anger-in). Second, children s ego resiliency has an indirect influence on anger management. Also, parents open communication skills directly impact child ego resiliency. Finally, this study identified the variables influencing children s anger expression. In contrast, the influence of these variables was different respectively on anger expression(anger-out), anger suppression(anger-in), and anger management. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the variables, including parental open communication abil-ity, the environmental factor, and children’s ego resilience, the individual factor, play a significant role in children s anger expressing style, which they can describe, explain, predict, and control their emotion. Among these variables, open parental communication had the most decisive influence directly on anger-out, and anger suppression(anger-in), which indicates that parents need to talk with their child smoothly for their child to express their anger effectively.

Improving communication between American Indian youth and caregivers to prevent teenage pregnancy.

American Indian (AI) youth are at increased risk for poor reproductive health outcomes. Parental communication and monitoring are established predictors of sexual risk-taking among adolescents. No program evaluations of sexual risk avoidance programs have focused exclusively on AI youth and parents. This study assesses the impact of the Respecting the Circle of Life (RCL) Teenage Pregnancy Prevention program on parent-youth communication and parental monitoring through a randomized controlled trial with AI youth ages 11-19 and their trusted adults (parents/caregivers) (N = 518). RCL consists of 8-peer group and one parent-youth session. Trusted adult participants completed the Parental Monitoring Scale and the Parent Adolescent Communication Scale at baseline and 3 and 9 months post-intervention via self-report. Intervention impact was evaluated using linear regression models, which included an indicator for study group. At 3 months post, trusted adults in the intervention reported significantly higher levels of sexual health communication (P = 0.042) and spoke to their child more often about how to get condoms (P = 0.001), get birth control (P = 0.014) and protect themselves from human immunodeficiency virus (P = 0.005) compared with trusted adults in the control condition. Program impact varied by age and sex. This study adds to literature and extends findings on RCL impact.

Parent SMART (Substance Misuse in Adolescents in Residential Treatment): Protocol of a Randomized Effectiveness Trial of a Technology-Assisted Parenting Intervention.

BackgroundAdolescents in residential substance use treatment are at extremely high risk for relapse following discharge to the community. Parenting practices, including parental monitoring and parent-adolescent communication, have been established as key predictors of adolescent substance use outcomes and relapse. However, traditional office-based therapy may not be feasible for parents who face structural and systemic barriers. There is a clear need for effective, accessible, and scalable interventions for parents of adolescents receiving residential substance use treatment. In a prior pilot randomized controlled trial, we tested Parent SMART (Substance Misuse among Adolescents in Residential Treatment)—a technology-assisted parenting intervention informed by extensive formative research—as an adjunct to residential treatment as usual (TAU). Parent SMART demonstrated high feasibility and acceptability, as well as evidence of effectiveness in improving parental monitoring and communication.ObjectiveThis protocol paper describes a fully-powered randomized controlled pragmatic effectiveness trial of Parent SMART as an adjunct to residential TAU. We hypothesize that families who receive Parent SMART will demonstrate greater improvements in parenting skills, reductions in adolescent substance use, and reductions in adolescent problem behaviors relative to families that receive residential TAU. We will test the exploratory hypothesis that reductions in adolescent substance use will be partially mediated by improvements in parenting skills.MethodsAdolescent-parent dyads (n = 220 dyads; 440 total) will be randomized to either residential TAU only or Parent SMART+TAU. Parents randomized to Parent SMART will receive access to a networking forum, an off-the-shelf computer program called Parenting Wisely, and up to four telehealth coaching calls. Multimethod follow-up assessments consisting of self-reported parent and adolescent measures, a parent-adolescent in vivo interaction task, and 8-panel urine screens will be conducted 6, 12, and 24 weeks postdischarge from residential care. Measures will assess parenting skills, adolescent substance use, and adolescent problem behaviors. Analyses will be conducted using latent change score structural equation modeling.ResultsThe trial was funded in August 2021; ethics approval was obtained in August 2020, prior to funding. Due to concerns with the administrative interface in the pilot trial, the Parent SMART networking forum is currently being rebuilt by a different vendor. The programming is scheduled to be completed by December 2021, with recruitment beginning in February 2022.ConclusionsThe proposed research has the potential to advance the field by serving a high-need, underserved population during a vital treatment juncture; targeting parenting practices (putative mediators) that have been shown to predict adolescent substance use outcomes; addressing barriers to accessing continuing care; and testing a highly scalable intervention model.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05169385; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05169385International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/35934

Exploring the role of family communication time in the association between family dinner frequency and adolescent psychological distress

Although research shows that family dinner is associated with adolescent psychological well-being, it is unclear whether this association still exists when parent-adolescent communication is limited particularly in today’s high-tech society where frequent family meals may not necessarily co-exist with frequent family communication. We therefore examined the relationships among adolescent psychological distress, parent-adolescent dinner frequency, and parent-adolescent communication time using data from 826 parent-adolescent dyads. Adolescents self-reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress in the preceding month using the validated Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale – 21 (DASS-21). Their parents reported the frequency of breakfasts and dinners, duration of daily communication with the adolescent, and other family sociodemographic characteristics. Moderated regression analysis was used to examine associations of adolescent psychological distress with parent-adolescent dinner frequency and parent-adolescent non-conflictual communication time. We found that parent-adolescent non-conflictual communication time was independently and significantly associated with adolescent DASS Depression (β = -1.31, p < 0.001), Anxiety (β = -0.84, p < 0.001), and Stress (β = -1.00, p < 0.001) scores, but parent-adolescent dinner frequency was not. Furthermore, adolescents reported lower levels of depression and stress only when they concurrently engaged in both everyday dinner and regular non-conflictual communication with parents. Findings emphasize the importance of regular dinner and non-conflictual communication with parents for adolescent psychological well-being.

Predictors and moderators of response to brief interventions among adolescents with risky alcohol and marijuana use

Background:Brief interventions have shown promise in reducing adolescent alcohol and marijuana use. This manuscript presents a secondary analysis of a randomized trial that compared a brief parent motivational intervention (Family Check Up; FCU) to brief psychoeducation (PE) condition and found no effect of treatment condition on either binge drinking or marijuana use days. The current analyses explored whether the response to treatment may have varied as a function of six empirically-based baseline moderators and predictors: biological sex, age, race/ethnicity, mental health problems, parent-adolescent communication, and peer deviance. Methods: Data from the parent trial randomizing 102 parents to either the FCU (n = 51) or PE (n = 51) interventions were re-analyzed across four time points (baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-months). Moderators and predictors were tested via a series of hierarchical linear models. Results: Parent-adolescent communication and peer deviance emerged as significant predictors of adolescent treatment response. Specifically, low-levels of parent-adolescent communication or peer deviance were associated with worse treatment response (i.e., significant increases in binge drinking days and marijuana use days) in the PE condition, but not in the FCU condition. Non-Hispanic Whites and girls had worse treatment response, regardless of treatment condition. Conclusions: The FCU condition appeared to mitigate risks of poor parent-adolescent communication and affiliation with deviant peers better than the PE condition. Clinical recommendations for decision-making around assignment to brief interventions are discussed.

Parent-adolescents communication on sexual and reproductive health issues and associated factors among students in high school and preparatory in Arekit, Southwest, Ethiopia, 2020

BackgroundSexual and reproductive health is a major global public health concern, and teenagers in Africa, in particular, face a variety of unresolved issues. Adolescent pregnancies are occurring more than 50% earlier in Africa, and new HIV infections are rising more frequently by more than 80%. Talking to parents and teens about sexual and reproductive issues is not regarded as a critical strategy in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess parent-adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health issues and related factors among high school and preparatory students in Arekit, southwest Ethiopia. MethodsA study was carried out with students from Southwest Ethiopia's Arekit High and Preparatory School. A cross-sectional study conducted within an institution was used. A total of 522 participants were included in the study. The study's participants were chosen using a multistage sampling procedure; first, the children were divided into strata based on grades (9–12). The participants were then chosen systematically by sampling from each section. Student rosters were utilized as a sampling frame to choose the participant, and proportionate allocation was used to calculate the number of students in each grade. Data was entered using Epi-data version 4.6, and SPSS version 23 was used to analyse it. After multivariate analysis, the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was used to measure how strongly the dependent variable and independent variable were related, with the p-value being used to identify whether the relationship was significant. ResultsMore than half of the participants (56.6 %) reported SRH problems in parent-adolescent communication. This research reveals that students who thought it was important to talk about sexual and reproductive health issues (AOR: 2.73: 95 % CI: 1.312–4.53), female students, and parents with a high school diploma or higher were all significantly associated with parent-adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health. ConclusionAccording to the findings of this study, while parents were aware of teenage and even youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, adolescents and parents did not commonly communicate about sexual and reproductive health issues. Communication challenges that vary with age and environment should be investigated further.

ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS AFFECTING CONTRACEPTION UTILIZATION AMONG PREPARATORY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GONDAR TOWN, AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA

Objective: The study was aimed to assess factors affecting contraception utilization among preparatory school students in Gondar town, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was employed. A multistage sampling procedure was employed in the study area. The data were entered, clean and analysis using statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 16 software. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were employed. Multivariate analysis with 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed to identify factors associated with contraception service utilization at p&lt;0.05. Results: The response rate of this study was 97%. The result showed that 90.4% of study participants knew about contraception services utilization. However, the practice of contraception was only 24% (95% confidence interval (CI): (20.8%-27.4%). Based on the finding of multivariate analysis among explanatory variables, age, media exposure, marital status, and ever had girl or boyfriends were significantly associated with contraception services utilization. Conclusion: Interventions are needed to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health such as promote parent adolescent communication, strengthening of youth centers, working with community and religious leaders, and increase the accessibility of services which are important to encourage adolescent contraception service utilization.

Parent-adolescent discussion about reproductive health issues and associated factors among parents in Debre Markos town, Northwest, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Introductionadolescence is a transition phase from being a child to an adult. Open positive parent-adolescent communication on reproductive health issues has many positive effects on adolescents, families, and society.Methodsa community-based cross-sectional study design was employed, and a multistage sampling technique was used. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with pre-tested structured questionnaires. After data collection, data were coded and entered using Epi data version 3.1 and analysed using SPSS version 25 statistical software. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to ascertain the association between explanatory variables and the outcome variable. Variables with a P value less than 0.25 in the bivariable analysis and P-value < 0.05 in the multivariable analysis and corresponding 95% CI of odds ratio were considered to declare a result as statistically significant.Resultsthis study has revealed parent-adolescent discussion on reproductive health issues was 55.2%. Age 45-54 (AOR=2.37, 95% CI: 1.28-4.39) and 55-64 (AOR=2.54, 95% CI: 1.15-5.56) years, male parents (AOR= 0.51, 95% CI: 0.29-0.89) and monthly income above 158 USD (AOR=3.31, 95% CI: 1.79-6.12) were statistically significant.Conclusionmore than half of the parents discuss reproductive health issues with adolescents. Age 45-54 and 55-64 years, male parents, and higher incomes were the factors that allowed parent-adolescent discussion on reproductive health issues.

Parent-child communication and children's psychological well-being and self-concept.

During the developmental period of life, the environment in which they grow up and the degree of communication between parents and children both have an impact on how they establish their sense of self-concept and their wellbeing. The purpose of the current study is to assess the association between psychological wellbeing, self-concept, and parent-child communication. Data was collected from 120 participants using The Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS) by Barnes, H. L. (1982), The EPOCH Measure of Adolescent Well-being by Kern et al., 2016 and Self-concept scale (Robson, 1989). Results were analysed using Pearson correlation which suggests significant correlation was found between happiness and child communication (r=.485** N=120, p=0.00). Also, negative correlation between child communication and self-concept. However, no significant correlation was found between parent- child communication. Therefore, one possible explanation is that children might not want their parents to learn about their personal experiences initially.