The Jan 2010 issue of Pediatrics – the journal of the American Association of Pediatrics – reports the results of a longitudinal study conducted by Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School that set out to examine timing of parent–child discussions about sexual topics relative to child-reported sexual behavior. The participants included teens (ages 13-17) and their parents. The study concluded that parents communicate too little and too late.

“Our results reinforce the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that pediatricians and other clinicians encourage parents to educate their adolescents about sexuality beginning early in life. Many adolescents report little or no communication about sexuality with their parents. Our results provide pediatricians and other clinicians with information that can help them guide parents in how to address sexual health with their adolescents in a timely fashion. They might offer suggestions for specific topics that parents might cover and for what they might say about those topics. Clinicians can also discuss these issues 1-on-1 with adolescents.”

You can read the full report here – Timing of Parent and Child Communication About Sexuality.

Studies such as this one and others in past show that many parents are reluctant to talk to kids about sex.  The importance of candid discussions with adolescents on the subject cannot be stressed enough. Awkward as it may be, it is necessary for parents to have open discussions with their kids, and also share with them their views on adolescent sex. If you’re a parent of a teenager and feel you need some help navigating this sometimes uncomfortable issue with your teen, consider having a chat with your child’s pediatrician as the Pediatrics article suggests, and maybe even pass the buck to the pediatrician to have “the talk” with your child even though that may be a less-than-ideal strategy.