Parent–Adolescent Communication About Sex in Rural India

Abstract

In this article, we examine parent–adolescent communication about sex among rural Indian youth and their parents. We conducted in-depth interviews (N = 40) with mothers, fathers, and adolescent boys and girls aged 14 to 18 years in a rural community in Maharashtra, India. In the context of key cultural factors, including gender-related norms, we explore issues of sexual health and critically assess widely held beliefs that Indian parents are unwilling or unable to discuss sex-related topics with their children. Our findings suggest that despite communication barriers, e.g., lack of knowledge and cultural proscriptions, Indian families are interested in and willing to communicate about sex-related topics. Future research should seek to determine the viability of family-based HIV prevention interventions for Indian adolescents.

Caretaker-Adolescent Communication on Sexuality and Reproductive Health: My Perceptions Matter; A Qualitative Study on Adolescents’ Perspectives in Unguja-Zanzibar

“…But also lack of communication is attributed to limited knowledge and skills for caretakers to communicate effectively with their children, lack of opportune time by parents, lack of confidence on the part of the caretakers, shyness, etc. This finding is similar to the findings of Guilamo-Ramos et al (2012) in a study done in India which found that adolescents identified a number of barriers of communicating about sexual matters, including embarrassment in discussing sexual topics, concerns that discussions about sex were not age appropriate, and lack of information [26]. On the part of the adolescents, they were of the opinion that parents were not sufficiently friendly, and the fact that they were not sure about what their parents would think of them if they kept on asking questions about sexuality.…”

“…The majority chose parents as their preferred person to communicate with about sexuality because they believe that their parents/caretakers know them and understand them well since they live under one roof and spend much time together. This finding concurs with the finding of Guilamo-Ramos et al (2012) and Namisi et al (2009) which also showed that adolescents chose parents as the preferred source of information about sexual topics [26] [34]. This implies that caretakers are significant individuals to be included in any intervention aiming at reducing young people's sexual risky behaviours.…”

“…This study found that communication about sexuality should be initiated once the child reaches puberty; that is between 9 to 15 years for girls and 15 years for boys, because they said this is the period when adolescents start to develop behavioural change and may engage in sexual risky behaviour due to body physiological changes that come with age. This perception is different from what is found in the study of GuilamoRamos et al (2012) which showed that most boys and girls felt it was appropriate to discuss sexual matters with their parents between the age of 18 and 21 years, or after marriage, because of the feelings that older people will not feel comfortable to speak about this topic at such young age [26]. However in the same study few adolescents thought sex was an appropriate topic for young adolescents who lacked the maturity to process such information [26].…”

“…This perception is different from what is found in the study of GuilamoRamos et al (2012) which showed that most boys and girls felt it was appropriate to discuss sexual matters with their parents between the age of 18 and 21 years, or after marriage, because of the feelings that older people will not feel comfortable to speak about this topic at such young age [26]. However in the same study few adolescents thought sex was an appropriate topic for young adolescents who lacked the maturity to process such information [26]. The latter is consistent with the findings of this study which shows that some adolescents concurred with the fact that the youth have to be advised about sexuality even before puberty, as alluded to earlier-"strike the iron while still hot".…”

“…In the young people's views, the appropriate age to start communicating about sexuality as explored by Guilamo-Ramos et al (2012) is between ages 18 and 21, or after marriage [26]. However, a study done by Tesso et al (2012) showed that more communication seems to occur from the ages of 15 to 16 years for females, and 17 to 18 years for males, and the proportions tend to decline at the age from 20 to 24 years [27].…”