Posts
A new review of studies suggests
that fathers’ attitudes toward teen sex and their relationships with their
teens can substantially influence their teens’ sexual behavior, separately from
the influence of mothers. The review demonstrated that fathers’ attitudes
toward teen sexual behavior were linked to the age at which teens first had
sex. According to studies included in the review, those teens whose dads
approved of adolescent sexual activity tended to begin sexual activity earlier
than those teens whose dads did not approve. An additional finding was that
teens that were closer to their fathers tended to start having sex later.
Study researcher Vincent
Guilamo-Ramos, a professor of social work at New York University, notes that
the findings suggest that fathers, who parent differently from mothers, may
have a definite impact on the sexual behaviors of their adolescent children.
However, most previous studies have centered on the influence of mothers on
teen behavior. Understanding more completely the role that fathers play in
their teens’ sexual behavior and reproductive health can assist researchers to
identify which parenting practices most greatly influence teens and therefore
lead to better intervention strategies that include both parents.
In the review, Guilamo-Ramos and
colleagues looked at 13 studies of the paternal influence on the behavior of
teens between the ages of 11 and 18. The term “father” was defined broadly to
be the primary male caregiver in the teens’ life and could be the biological
father, stepfather, adoptive father, uncle, or grandfather, for example.
Guilamo-Ramos states that
adolescence is generally a time of increased risk-taking, and where sexual
activity is concerned, it can lead to concerns for teens’ health with sexually
transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy. A 2011 survey by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention showed that 47 percent of high school students
have had intercourse, and that 40 percent of those who were sexually active did
not use a condom when they last had sex.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit:
http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
