The Influence of the Family on Adolescent Sexual Experience: A Comparison between Baltimore and Johannesburg

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to understand the role of the family on the sexual experiences of adolescents from urban, disadvantaged settings in Baltimore and Johannesburg. Data were collected as part of the WAVE study, a global study of disadvantaged youth in five cities. Qualitative data were based on key informant interviews, a Photovoice exercise, community mapping, focus groups and in-depth interviews with adolescents. Quantitative data were gathered from an ACASI survey that was administered to approximately 450–500 adolescents per site. Results from the qualitative data revealed that while parents were viewed as important sources of information for sexual and reproductive health, they were often not present in the adolescents’ lives. This lack of parental presence was perceived to result in adolescents feeling an overall lack of adult support and guidance. The impact of parental presence and support on adolescent sexual experience was further examined from the quantitative data and revealed a complex picture. In both Baltimore and Johannesburg, female adolescents who were raised by other relatives were less likely to report having had sex compared to those raised by two biological parents, which was not observed for males. In Johannesburg, female adolescents who were paternal orphans were less likely to have had sex compared to non-orphans; the opposite was true among males. Finally, in both sites, female adolescents who had been exposed to violence were more likely to have had sex compared to those who had not; for males, there was no significant relationship. The study demonstrates the powerful influence of both context and gender for understanding the influences of the family on adolescent sexual behaviors. Programs aiming to reduce adolescent sexual risk behaviors the need to understand the complex influences on risk behaviors in different settings and in particular, the role of mothers and fathers. Prevention strategies need to also understand and incorporate gender-specific messages and interventions in order to address the high risk of sexual behaviors among adolescents in these settings.

The protective role of family structure for adolescent development in sub-Saharan Africa

“…The positive association between self-esteem and positive sexual behaviours have been well established. Similar to other studies [ 30 ], the influence of family structure on sexual debut of adolescents was stronger for females than it was for males. This means that factors that protect females are different from factors that protect males.…”

“…Although risk and protective factors are well-known, the interaction between these two factors is not completely understood. The literature has shown that some adolescents who reside up in single-parent households amid poverty and little monitoring or support do not become involved in risky behaviours [ 30 , 31 ]. These conclusions imply that some protective factors working concurrently with risk factors may offset and even contradict the most harmful effects of negative factors.…”

Knowledge of safe sex and sexually transmitted infections among high school students, Vientiane Prefecture, Lao PDR

“…The study showed factors associated with higher knowledge of safe sex were living with people other than parents, studying family planning and belonging to a religion that accepted the use of birth control. While parents may be an important source of information on sexual and reproductive health at some stages of adolescence, living more independently may reflect other opportunities for gaining knowledge and experience in these matters [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41].…”

The Effect of Family Living Arrangement on Delayed Sexual Debut Among Female Teenagers in Indonesia

“…The increased probability of delaying sexual debut among teenagers living with both parents' supports can be explained by the fact that female teenagers may be closer with family members compared to males, put more meaning on the family relationships and consequently more affected by changes and disruption in family structure (Mmari et al, 2016). Some research suggests that girls with absent fathers are susceptible to having unstable and conflicted parental relationships, which correspondingly influence accelerated pubertal maturation (Mendle et al, 2009).…”