Abstract:The primary purpose of this study was to better understand the role of parents in early adolescents' sexual attitudes and behavior, as parents are ecologically an important proximal factor. Predictor variables included were mother and father approval of premarital sex, parent-adolescent communication about sexuality, and parental social support. Religiosity was also included. The participants were 194, male (n=89) and female (n=105) students in the 7 th and 8 th grades (ages 12-15, mean=13.24), primarily African-American and Mexican-American and of lower socioeconomic status, from two middle schools in an urban school district of a large city in the Midwest of the U.S.A.. Variance in most criterion variables was significantly explained by various combinations of these parenting variables. However, none of these parenting variables predicted adolescents' intentions to avoid pregnancy, plans sexual intercourse debut, or plans for continuing sexual intercourse if already started (n=34). Contributions to existing literature, as well as implications for prevention and intervention, are discussed.