Parental sex education and sexual risk behavior of daughters and sons: findings from the representative survey "Youth Sexuality"

Background: According to socialization theory, parental sex education should lead to increased sexual literacy in adolescents. However, current data for Germany is lacking.

Objective: Against this backdrop, the aim of the present study was to link for the first time the general conversations about sexuality in the family (research question 1, RQ1), and specifically parental contraception education (RQ2), with the sexual risk behavior of adolescents.

Methods: The database is the ninth wave of the representative survey "Youth Sexuality" conducted by the Federal Centre for Health Education in Germany (BZgA). Data from all sexually active 14- to 17-year-old adolescents in the sample who provided information on their sexual behavior and whose parents reported on their sex education behavior were analyzed (N = 357). To answer the two research questions, logistic regression analyses were carried out with four central characteristics of adolescent sexual behavior.

Results: The results showed that for both girls and boys conversations about sexuality in the family are positively correlated with (1) reached age of consent at first sexual intercourse, (2) a positive first sexual intercourse experience, (3) reliable contraception use, and (4) a low number of sexual partners (RQ1). The same pattern of results emerged for contraception education by parents (RQ2).

Conclusions: The positive correlations between parental sex education and less risky adolescent sexual behavior need to be further investigated with respect to the underlying causal mechanisms.