Expectations and Self-Efficacy of African American Parents Who Discuss Sexuality with their Adolescent Sons: An Intervention Study

Objective Despite research that suggests parental communication may help deter high-risk sexual behavior among adolescents, parents report a lack of confidence in their ability to answer sexually related questions. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of a multimedia intervention on outcome expectations and perceived self-efficacy for the sex educator role for parents of African American adolescent males. Design and Sample A pilot study using mixed methods was conducted. A nonprobability sample (N=61) was obtained from a large urban community using a combination of convenience and snowball recruitment methods. Measures Self-efficacy and outcome expectations were measured using self-reported questionnaires. Intervention A multimedia intervention for use at home and incorporating an audio CD and associated activities was implemented over a 3-week time period. Results Outcome expectations and self-efficacy both significantly improved after the intervention (p<.001). Conclusions Findings indicate that using a multimedia approach may be effective in improving parents' outcome expectancy and self-efficacy for talking about sex with adolescent sons.