This study investigates the influences of a family's spiritual beliefs and practices on substance use and sexual risk behaviors among young adolescents 13 to 14 years old in Bangkok, Thailand. Independent predictor variables are the parents' and teens' spiritual beliefs and practices in Buddhism and parental monitoring behaviors. The study uses data from the 2007 Baseline Survey of the Thai Family Matters Project, which adapted a U.S. based family prevention program for Thai culture. A representative sample of 420 pairs of parents and teens from the Bangkok metropolitan area was recruited to participate in the study. Structural equation models indicate that positive direct and indirect associations of the spirituality of parents and teens within a family and the prevention of adolescent risk behaviors are significant and consistent.

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This paper examines the risk and protective factors associated with sexual behaviors among Thai youth ages 13-14 (N=420) living in Bangkok, Thailand. Cross-sectional data were collected using a random sample of households methodology. Three outcomes were assessed: (1) intention to engage in sexual intercourse, (2) pre-coital behaviors, and (3) sexual initiation. Bivariate analysis indicated that parental disapproval of sex, exposure to pornographic at East Tennessee State University on May 30, 2015 jea.sagepub.com Downloaded from Atwood et al. 365media, refusal self-efficacy and having a boyfriend/girlfriend had the strongest relationships with all three outcomes. Multivariate analyses found that parental disapproval of sex and exposure to pornographic media (internet or TV) were significantly associated with all three outcomes. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend was associated with pre-coital behaviors and intentions and sexual refusal self efficacy was correlated with pre-coital behaviors only. The potential competing influences of parent disapproval and exposure to pornographic media on adolescent sexual behaviors should be considered when adapting HIV prevention interventions for Thai youth.

This study examines the intergenerational transmission of family religion as measured by parent’s and adolescent’s beliefs and practices in Buddhism, and its relation to delinquent behaviors among early adolescents in Thailand. The data set is from the Thai Family Matters Project 2007, a representative sample of 420 pairs of parents and teens in Bangkok. A structural equation model is employed for the analysis. The intergenerational transmission and the direct and indirect association between parents’ and adolescents’ beliefs and practices in Buddhism and adolescents’ minor and serious delinquent behaviors are revealed to be significant, controlling for secular parental monitoring. Spirituality within the family can play an important role in preventing delinquency among early adolescents. Policies in the areas related to family empowerment and delinquency prevention may need to consider integrating both secular and non-secular program inputs in their implementation design.