Parent and peer predictors of adolescents' sexual development: Can parents buffer peer influence?

While lot of parents aim to delay sexual development of their children, peers often stimulate sexual development. How do adolescents deal with these differing social influences? Literature suggests that positive parenting is a buffer against peer influence. In this study, 992 Belgian adolescents (50% girls; 12 to 20years) reported on own experience and timing of sexual behaviour, perceived parenting and descriptive and injunctive peer norms. Regressions revealed that parental behavioural control predicted later timing of sexual debut. Only descriptive peer norms predicted more sexual experience. The parents-as-buffer hypothesis was not supported. Four parenting by peer interactions, however, showed that positive parenting intensifies peer prediction of sexual development, particularly during late adolescence. Together, this study emphasizes the importance of parenting strategies that enable adolescents to make their own autonomous decisions (regarding sexual and other behaviours) within the context of peer relations, where various types of influence may play a role.