Family Communication About Sex: Parents and College-Aged Offspring Recall Discussion Topics, Satisfaction, and Parental Involvement

On the assumption that parent-offspring interaction affects the attitudes of offspring, 176 student-mother-father triads completed self-report surveys regarding recalled conversations about sexuality. Results indicated most (77%) participants could recall discussions about sexuality with their parent or child. Most frequently recalled topics for parents and offspring included relationships, morals, and pregnancy. Mothers recalled they were most satisfied with, and open to, discussions about sexuality with offspring, whereas students reported moderate satisfaction. The majority of offspring, however, recalled relying on friends as their main source of sexual information, followed by mothers, then fathers. Participants' recollections suggest mothers figure large in sex education and were predominantly responsible for sexual communication with offspring, regardless of the child's biological sex. Suggestions for future research focus on the need to collect message data and participants' perception about particular message strategies.