Adolescent daughters’ perceptions of their fathers’ levels of communication and care: How these variables influence female adolescent sexual behaviors

Citation

Sentino, Patrice; Thompson, Phyllis L.; Nugent, William R.; & Freeman, Derrick (2018). Adolescent daughters’ perceptions of their fathers’ levels of communication and care: How these variables influence female adolescent sexual behaviors. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. pp. 1-15

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between female adolescents' perceptions of their fathers' level of communication and care, and the influence of these variables on their adolescent daughters' sexual behaviors. Data was extracted from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health from 1994-2008, which consisted of a sample (N=629) of adolescent girls in grades 7-12 in the United States during the 1994-1995 school year. Study results show fathers' caring as statistically significant at the .05 level. As fathers' caring increased, the number of sex partners decreased among adolescent girls. Fathers' communication was not statistically significant at the .055 level. However, as the daughters' perception of their fathers' communication improved, the number of daughters' sex partners decreased. The high rates of unintended pregnancy, unprotected sex, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among U.S. adolescent females show the need for a greater understanding of how fathers contribute to their daughters sexual risk-taking behaviors. Implications for practice and future research is discussed.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1449693

Keyword(s)

Father and daughters

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment

Author(s)

Sentino, Patrice
Thompson, Phyllis L.
Nugent, William R.
Freeman, Derrick

Year Published

2018

Pages

1-15

Edition

March 27, 2018

ISSN/ISBN

1091-1359

DOI

10.1080/10911359.2018.1449693

Reference ID

8476