Let's Talk about It: Sexual Minority Adolescents' Intentions to Have Sex after Talking to a Parent about Birth Control or Abstinence

Background and Purpose: Behaviors initiated during adolescence have implications for health over the lifespan. Contracting a chronic illness (e.g. HIV) and habit formation are two examples. Yet little is known about the ways in which parent-child sexual risk communication influences intention to have sex among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) adolescents. This work examines the relationship between parent-child communication about birth control and the benefits of abstinence, sexual orientation and intention to have sex among urban adolescents, controlling for age, sex, and ethnicity.

Method: In 2015, high school students in an urban school district in the Western United States completed the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and a supplement survey (N=1,825). Students anonymously self-reported having had conversations with their parents about birth control or the benefits of abstinence, intentions to have sex in the next three months (very unlikely, somewhat likely, very likely), their sexual orientation (heterosexual, gay or lesbian, bisexual, or unsure), age in years, male or female sex, and ethnic identity. Logistic regressions explored the associations between parent-child communication about sex (abstinence, contraceptive use), sexual orientation (heterosexual vs. LGBQ), controlling for other identity variables in the model.

Results: Intention to have sex was associated with reporting parent-child communication about abstinence (OR=1.41, 95% CI:1.12-1.79) and birth control (OR=1.50, 95% CI:1.20-1.87), LGBQ-identity (OR=2.04, 95% CI:1.33-3.13), age (OR=1.41, 95% CI:1.30-1.53), and female sex (OR=0.31, 95% CI:0.25-0.38) but not for Latinx identity. Interactions were tested and for LGBQ students, talking to parents about abstinence reduced their intention to have sex (OR=0.40, 95% CI:0.21-0.78).

Conclusions and Implications: Parents are a resource in promoting healthy sexual behavior and have the power to influence sexual decision-making. In our sample, LGBQ adolescents who talked to their parents about the benefits of abstinence were less likely to report intentions for sex in the next three months. Social workers who seek to promote sexual health among LGBQ adolescent populations should encourage parents to engage in earnest discussions of sex and sexuality with their LGBQ children. Safer sex strategies can be reinforced by parents, social workers, and other influential adults in adolescents’ lives.