Live Poster Session: Zoom Link
Abstract: Adolescence is a time of development and identity formation. Adolescents are greatly influenced by their environments, peers, and family members. The adolescent-parent relationship is one of the most influential forces during adolescent development. One of the most significant and most studied outcomes associated with adolescent-parent relationship quality is adolescent sexual behavior. For example, a longitudinal study done using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health showed that adolescent-parent relationship quality is positively correlated with a reduction in risky sexual behavior such as having unprotected sex (Deptula et al., 2010). Though some research has been done into exactly why we see a negative correlation between adolescent-parent relationship quality and risky sexual behavior, it is still unknown. The goals of the present analysis were two-fold: 1) to determine if there is a correlation between adolescent-parent relationship quality and timing of first sexual encounter and 2) to determine if there is an association between adolescent-parent relationship quality and the adolescents’ prioritization of sex in relationships. A sample of 4,094 adolescents from grades 7 – 12 in the United States was taken from wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. In-home questionnaires were used in face-to-face interviews with adolescents and parents separately. Correlation analysis showed that a stronger relationship between adolescent and parent was negatively correlated with adolescent prioritization of sex in romantic relationships (p<2.2e-16, r=-0.14). Further correlation analysis failed to show a strong correlation between adolescent-parent relationship quality and age at first sexual encounter (p=0.081, r=-0.049). This data could help guide parenting education programs and identify a group of adolescents who may be at more risk of engaging in sexual behavior leading to STDs and pregnancy. Furthermore, this data could support further research into the correlation between adolescent-parent relationship quality and adolescent beliefs surrounding a myriad of behaviors such as violence and drug use.
Poster-for-ADA-Final-Draft