|
Most Families Do Not Communicate Regularly
-
From fifth to eighth grade, the amount of time children
spend with their families is cut in half (Hair et al., 2001).
-
Parents are more likely to consider talks about sex, alcohol,
drugs, and violence as happening “regularly.” Their
children, on the other hand, remember having these discussions “a
couple of times” (Nickelodeon and Kaiser Family Foundation,
2001).
-
While 42% of parents say they have talked to their teens
about risky sexual behaviors, less than half (49%) of those teens
remember the conversation (Nickelodeon and Talking With Kids, 2001).
-
Sixty percent of 8-11 year olds and 56% of 12-15 year olds
say they learn “a lot” from their mothers about issues
like sex, alcohol, drugs and violence. Most youth turn to their
mothers
before
their teachers and classes, fathers, the media, and friends (Nickelodeon
and Talking With Kids, 2001).
-
Only one in five teens (21%) under 15 years old have ever
received advice or information about sex from their parents (Kaiser
Family Foundation,
1998).
-
Kids want to know more. Most children (62%) and teens (57%)
wish they had more information about guns in school. Youth also
want to know more about discrimination, puberty, homosexuality, and
alcohol
or drugs (Nickelodeon and Talking With Kids, 2001).
-
Parents need to initiate difficult conversations. Most (77%)
of teenagers don’t talk to their parents about sexual health
because they don’t know how to bring it up (seventeen and
Kaiser Family Foundation, 2002).
Benefits of Positive Parent-Child Communication
-
Positive parent-child communication includes the following
characteristics: being supportive, listening to the other person,
tolerating differences,
being understanding, and not pressuring the other to agree. (Smetana
et al., 2000).
-
Teens with authoritative parents (warm, firm, and accepting
of their teens’ needs for psychological independence) are
more successful in school, less anxious and depressed, and have
higher
self-esteem than teens without authoritative parents (Steinberg,
2001).
-
Children with positive father-child relationships have higher
self-esteem and show better school and social adjustment than children
without these relationships (Brotherson et al., 2003).
-
When parents and children openly talk about drugs and sex,
children have better self-control and develop more negative perceptions
these
risky behaviors (Wills et al., 2003).
-
Students who talk frequently with their parents are more
likely to use contraception. One in five teens (19%) would rather
receive information
from their parents than from other sources, such as health centers
or classes (Hacker et al., 2000).
Consequences of Lack of Communication
-
Children who do not feel warmth or caring from their parents
are more likely to have lower self-esteem, academic problems, and
emotional troubles.
They are also more likely to use drugs and participate in risky
sexual behaviors (Brotherson et al., 2003; Resnick, 1997; Steinberg,
2001).
-
When teens do not discuss sexuality issues with their parents,
they are more likely to “follow the crowd.” This is
especially dangerous if peers do not encourage responsible sexual
behavior (Whitaker
et al.).
For more information, contact
your local mental health association or the National
Mental Health Association
References:
Brotherson, Sean E; Yamamoto, Takashi; & Acock, Alan
C. (2003). Connection and Communication in Father-Child Relationships
and Adolescent
Child Well-Being. Fathering. Retrieved from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PAV/is_3_1/ai_111268930
on June 15, 2004.
Hacker, Karen A; Amare, Yared; Strunk, Nancy; Horst, Leslie. (2000).
Listening to Youth: Teen perspectives on pregnancy prevention. Journal
of Adolescent Health, 26, 279-288.
Hair, E., Jager, J., & Garrett, S. (2001). Background
for Community-Level Work on Social Competency in Adolescence: Reviewing
the literature on
contributing factors. Retrieved from http://12.109.133.224/Files/KnightReports/KSocial.pdf
on July 21, 2004.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation & Nickelodeon. Talking With Kids
About Tough Issues: A national survey of parents and kids. Retrieved
from http://www.kff.org/entpartnerships/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=13791
on July 21, 2004.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation & seventeen Magazine. Communication:
A series of national surveys of teens about sex. Retrieved from http://www.kff.org/entpartnerships/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=28893
on July 21, 2004.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation & YM Magazine.
National Survey of Teens: Teens Talk about Dating Intimacy, and Their
Sexual Experiences.
Menlo Park, CA: The Foundation, 1998. Retrieved from www.kff.org/youthhivstds/1373-datingrep.cfm
on July 6, 2004.
Resnick, M. (1997). Protecting Adolescents From Harm: Findings From
the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health. JAMA, 278: 823-832.
Smetana, Judith G; Abernethy, Alexis; & Harris, Ann.
(2000). Adolescent-Parents Interactions in Middle-Class African American
Families: Longitudinal
Change and Contextual Variations. Journal of Family Psychology, 14(3):
458-474.
Steinberg, L. (2001). We Know Some Things: Parent-adolescent relationships
in retrospect and prospect. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 11:1-19.
Whitaker, D.J., & Miller, K.S. (2000). Parent-Adolescent
Discussions About Sex and Condoms: Impact of peer influences on sexual
risk behavior.
Journal of Adolescent Research, 15, 251-273.
Wills, T.A; Gibbons, F.X; Gerrard, M; Murry, V.M; & Brody,
G.H. (2003). Family Communication and Religiosity Related to Substance
Use
and Sexual Behavior in Early Adolescence: A test for pathways through
self-control and prototype perceptions. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors,
17
|
PDF
print version