Heritage Top Ten: Parents and Teen Sex

Heritage Foundation:  Top ten ways strong families help deter unhealthy teenage sexual behavior.

1. Delayed sexual behavior. Youths who report higher quality relationships with their mothers and who feel their mothers highly disapprove of their having sex are more likely to delay sexual activity. full details

2. Reduction in teen pregnancy. Adolescent girls who feel that their mothers highly disapprove of their having sex and say that they had a very good relationship with their mothers are less likely than other peers to become pregnant. full details

3. Reduction in number of sexual partners.  On average, youths who feel that their mothers hold more liberal views on teen sexual activity have more sexual partners than peers who believe their mothers hold less liberal views on teen sex. full details

4. Youth sexual activity.  Teen girls who say they have a close relationship with their fathers are less likely to become sexually active. full details

5. Youth abstinence.  Adolescents whose parents discuss what is right and wrong in sexual behavior are more likely to remain abstinent than peers who do not have such talks with their parents.  full details   

6. Parent/child discussions.  In spite of peers’ behavior that would encourage sexual activity, adolescents who engage in discussions with their parents about sex are less likely to be sexually active or have fewer partners than youth who do not have such talks with their parents. full details   

7. Delayed sexual behavior. Adolescent girls whose mothers communicate with their friends’ parents tend to become sexually active at a later age. full details

8. Risky behavior.  Teens who are closely monitored by their parents are less likely to take risks regarding sexual behavior. full details   

9. Parental rules.  Adolescents whose parents set clear rules are less likely to have had sexual intercourse than peers whose parents did not. full details 

10. Setting limits.  Teens whose parents set limits on their television viewing or watch television with them are less likely to initiate sexual activity. full details

Comments

[Stacey]

What, no comments to this? I'll remember that when our more liberal friends say IFI never talks about negative sexual behavior except for homosexuality.