Parent-Adolescent Communication about Sexual Topics, Cultural Factors, and Latino Adolescents

85 Pages·2017·1.27 MB·English

VViirrggiinniiaa CCoommmmoonnwweeaalltthh UUnniivveerrssiittyy
VVCCUU SScchhoollaarrss CCoommppaassss
Theses and Dissertations Graduate School
2014
PPaarreenntt--AAddoolleesscceenntt CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn aabboouutt SSeexxuuaall TTooppiiccss,, CCuullttuurraall
FFaaccttoorrss,, aanndd LLaattiinnoo AAddoolleesscceennttss’’ SSeexxuuaall BBeehhaavviioorr aanndd CCoonnddoomm
AAttttiittuuddeess
Efren A. Velazquez
Virginia Commonwealth University
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd
Part of the Health Psychology Commons

© The Author
DDoowwnnllooaaddeedd ffrroomm
https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/3605
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
PARENT-ADOLESCENT COMMUNICATION ABOUT SEXUAL TOPICS, CULTURAL
FACTORS, AND LATINO ADOLESCENTS’ SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND CONDOM
ATTITUDES

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science
at Virginia Commonwealth University

Efren A. Velazquez
Bachelor of Arts, Boise State University, May 2012

Director: Rosalie Corona, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology

Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia
November, 2014
ii
Acknowledgements
Support for this study was by VCU Institute of Women’s Health, which was awarded to Dr.
Rosalie Corona. The findings and conclusions from this study are from the author, and do not
necessarily represent the official position of the VCU Institute of Women’s Health. I would like
to acknowledge Dr. Rosalie Corona for her guidance, time, patience and effort in assisting me
with my thesis. I would also like to acknowledge the other committee members, Dr. Cristina
Bares and Dr. Paul Perrin, for their feedback and support during this project. Furthermore, I
would like to thank Dr. Raquel Halfond for allowing me to use her database for my thesis.
iii
Table of Contents

Page
List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v

List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii

Abstract ............................................................................................................................ viii

Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1

What Factors are Related to Latino Adolescents’ Condom Use and Intention .......2
Do Parent-Adolescent Discussions about Sex Relate to Adolescent Sexual
Outcomes?................................................................................................................4
Do Latino Parents talk to their Adolescents about Sex? ..........................................6
Moderators of the Relationship between Mother-Adolescent Discussions about
Sex and Adolescents’ Sexual Health Outcomes ......................................................9
Acculturation................................................................................................9
Familismo ..................................................................................................11
Traditional gender roles .............................................................................12
Sex..............................................................................................................13
Current Study .........................................................................................................14

Method ...............................................................................................................................17

Research Design.....................................................................................................17
Participants .............................................................................................................18
Procedure ...............................................................................................................20
Measures ................................................................................................................21
Data Analysis Plan .................................................................................................25

Results ................................................................................................................................27

Participant Descriptive Statistics ...........................................................................27
Demographics Relations with Cultural Values and Sexual Outcomes ..................29
Sex Differences with Communication about Sex ..................................................30
Specific Aim 1 ....................................................................................................30
Specific Aim 2 ....................................................................................................31
Specific Aim 3 ....................................................................................................31
Specific Aim 4 .......................................................................................................33
Acculturation..............................................................................................33
Familismo ..................................................................................................35
Traditional gender roles .............................................................................37
Specific Aim 5 .......................................................................................................40
Specific Aim 6 .......................................................................................................42
iv
Specific Aim 7 .......................................................................................................44
Cultural Values Predictors on Sexual Behavior/Intentions and Condom Use
Attitudes .................................................................................................................49

Discussion ..........................................................................................................................52

Sex Differences ......................................................................................................54
Mother-Adolescent Communication about Sex and Sexual Outcomes ..............54
Cultural Values and its Lacking Influence .............................................................56
Adolescents’ Sex and its Impact on Sexual Outcomes ..........................................58
Predictors for Cultural Values, Mother-Adolescent Communication about Sex and
Sexual Outcomes ...................................................................................................59
Limitations and Future Direction ...........................................................................61
Conclusion .............................................................................................................62

Vita .....................................................................................................................................76
v
List of Tables
Table 1. Participant Characteristics ...................................................................................18

Table 2. Descriptive Statistics for Independence, Control, and Dependent Variables ......28

Table 3. Descriptive Statistics for Independent, Control, and Dependent Variables –
MALES ...............................................................................................................28

Table 4. Descriptive Statistics for Independent, Control, and Dependent Variables –
FEMALES ..........................................................................................................29

Table 5. Correlations between Demographics, Predictors and Sexual Outcomes .............32

Table 6. Regression Predicting Mother-Adolescent Communication about Sex with
Sexual Behavior and Intention to Engage in Sex Scores, Moderated by
Acculturation..........................................................................................................33

Table 7. Regression Predicting Mother-Adolescent Communication about Sex with
Condom Use Attitudes Scores, Moderated by Acculturation .............................34

Table 8. Regression Predicting Mother-Adolescent Communication about Sex with
Sexual Behavior and Intention to Engage in Sex Scores, Moderated by
Familismo .............................................................................................................35

Table 9. Regression Predicting Mother-Adolescent Communication about Sex with
Condom Use Attitude Scores, Moderated by Familismo ...................................36

Table 10. Regression Predicting Mother-Adolescent Communication about Sex with
Sexual Behavior and Intention to Engage in Sex Scores, Moderated by
Traditional Gender Roles ....................................................................................37

Table 11. Regression Predicting Mother-Adolescent Communication about Sex with
Condom Use Attitude Scores, Moderated by Traditional Gender Roles ............38

Table 12. Regression Predicting Mother-Adolescent Communication about Sex with
Sexual Behavior and Intention to Engage in Sex Scores, Moderated by Sex.....40

Table 13. Regression Predicting Mother-Adolescent Communication about Sex with
Condom Use Attitude Scores, Moderated by Sex ..............................................41

Table 14. Simple Regression Analysis of Demographics on Acculturation ......................43

Table 15. Simple Regression Analysis of Demographics on Familismo...........................43

Table 16. Simple Regression Analysis of Demographics on Traditional Gender Roles ...43
vi
Table 17. Simple Regression Analysis of Acculturation on Pre-Sexual Stage..................44

Table 18. Simple Regression Analysis of Acculturation on Pre-Coital Stage ...................45

Table 19. Simple Regression Analysis of Acculturation on Coital Stage .........................45

Table 20. Simple Regression Analysis of Familismo on Pre-Sexual Stage ......................46

Table 21. Simple Regression Analysis of Familismo on Pre-Coital Stage........................46

Table 22. Simple Regression Analysis of Familismo on Coital Stage ..............................47

Table 23. Simple Regression Analysis of Traditional Gender Roles on
Pre-Sexual Stage .............................................................................................48

Table 24. Simple Regression Analysis of Traditional Gender Roles on
Pre-Coital Stage ..................................................................................................48

Table 25. Simple Regression Analysis of Traditional Gender Roles on Coital Stage .......49

Table 26. Simple Regression Analysis of Acculturation on Sexual Behavior/Intentions .50

Table 27. Simple Regression Analysis of Acculturation on Condom Use Attitudes ........50

Table 28. Simple Regression Analysis of Familismo on Sexual Behavior/Intentions ......51

Table 29. Simple Regression Analysis of Familismo on Condom Use Attitudes .............51

Table 30. Simple Regression Analysis of Traditional Gender Roles on Sexual
Behavior/Intentions ..........................................................................................52

Table 31. Simple Regression Analysis of Traditional Gender Roles on Condom Use
Attitudes ...........................................................................................................52
vii
List of Figures

Figure 1. Moderation of the effect of parent-adolescent communication on condom use
attitudes by Traditional Gender Roles ...............................................................39
Abstract

PARENT-ADOLESCENT COMMUNICATION ABOUT SEXUAL TOPICS, CULTURAL
FACTORS, AND LATINO ADOLESCENTS’ SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND CONDOM
ATTITUDES

By Efren A. Velazquez, B.A.

A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science
at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2014

Major Director: Rosalie Corona, Ph. D.
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology

This study examined whether cultural values and gender moderate the association between
mother-adolescent communication about sex and adolescents’ sexual behavior/intention to
engage in sex and condom use attitudes. One hundred and fifty Latino adolescents completed an
anonymous survey that measured sexual health outcomes, mother-child communication, and
cultural factors. In bivariate analyses, adolescents with a higher sense of familismo had a more
positive attitude towards using condoms and more acculturated Latino adolescents were less
likely to speak to their mothers about pre-coital or coital sexual topics. Females spoke more
about sex with their mother, compared to males. Traditional gender roles moderated the relation
between mother-adolescent communication about sex and condom use attitudes. Acculturation,
familismo nor gender significantly moderated the relationship between communication about sex
and sexual health outcomes. Further research should explore whether certain cultural factors
influence parents to talk to their adolescent about specific topics related to sex.
Parent-Adolescent Communication about Sexual Topics, Cultural Factors, and Latino
Adolescents’ Sexual Behavior and Condom Attitudes
The sexual health of Latino adolescents continues to be a national priority given the high
rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as HIV, and unplanned pregnancies. For
example, 17% of individuals living with HIV in the U.S. are Latino (CDC, 2011b), and the rate
of newly diagnosed HIV infection is 3.8 times higher among Latino females (Latinas) than
European American females (CDC, 2011a). In fact, Latinos accounted for 21% of individuals
infected with HIV in 2010 (CDC, 2013). Within the state of Virginia, between 1,375 and 1,391
Latino adults and adolescents reported living with HIV by the end of 2010 (CDC, 2011b). The
rate of HIV infection among Latino adults is relevant to Latino adolescent sexual health because
many adults living with HIV were likely infected during their adolescent and young adult years
(Boyer et al., 2006; Forhan et al., 2009; Guo et al., 2002). The rates of unplanned pregnancies are
also high among Latino adolescents (Guttmacher Institute (GI), 2010; Sangi-Haghpekykar, Ali,
Posner, & Poindexter, 2006). Latino adolescents have had higher teen pregnancy rates compared
to non-Hispanic white teens since 2007 (CDC, 2011c). In fact, Latino and African American
adolescents between the ages of 15 to 19 made up 57% of U.S. teen births in 2011 (CDC,
2011c).
Adolescents can protect themselves from STIs and unplanned pregnancy by consistently
using condoms when they are sexually active (Moreno & Baer, 2012). In fact, Adolescents that
use a condom when they have sexual intercourse the first time were more likely to keep using
condoms when they have sexual intercourse in the future (Shafii, Strovel, Davis & Holmes,
2004). Yet, data from convenient and nationally representative samples demonstrates that
consistent or any condom use among Latino adolescents is not common (Garces-Palacio,
1