Family factors associated with talking about sexuality issues with the adolescents of Thai parents

This analytical cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between family factors (adolescents, parents, and families) and parents’ talking about sexuality issues with their adolescents. Study samples consisted of 787 parents with adolescents (aged 13-19 years), and were involved in their child-rearing. Stratified cluster random sampling was employed. Data were collected in 2022 after the decline of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instrument, created by the researchers, were composed of: 1) general demographic information of adolescents, parents, and families, 2) parents’ perceptions of adolescent sexual risk behaviors, and 3) parents’ talking about sexuality issues with adolescents. Content validity index (CVI) was 0.89. Multiple logistic regression was performed to analyze the association between family factors and parents discussing sexuality issues. Results showed most parents were mothers (70.90%), and the average age was 45.30. The prevalence of parents talking about sexuality issues was higher (79.03%) than those who do not talk about such issues (20.97%). Multivariate analysis found only parents’ sex and ages were associated with talking about sexuality issues. Mothers were 2.30 times more likely to talk about sexuality issues compared to fathers (AOR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.41-3.19, p-value < 0.001). Parents under 40 years of age were found to be 6.97 times more likely to talk about sexuality issues compared to parents over 60 years of age (AOR=6.97, 95% CI: 1.65-26.19, p-value = 0.006), and parents in the age range of 40-60 years old were found to be 6.24 times more likely to talk about sexuality issues compared to parents over 60 years of age (AOR=6.24, 95% CI: 1.62-21.73, p-value = 0.005). Results suggested that parents should be encouraged to talk about sexuality issues with their adolescents as young as possible to decrease the parent-adolescent generation gap. Fathers, alongside mothers, need to be empowered to initiate conversations about sexuality issues to promote adolescent sexual health.