By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
 

The Heritage Foundation, a pro-family research group, released their top ten findings concerning the impact of parental involvement in teens’ sexual decisions. As the facts confirm, parents remain the number one influence in their children’s lives and greatly affect their attitudes regarding sexual activity.

The Heritage Foundation’s top ten findings are:

1. Delayed sexual behavior. Youths who report higher quality relationships with their mothers and who feel their mothers highly disapprove of their having sex are more likely to delay sexual activity.

2. Reduction in teen pregnancy. Adolescent girls who feel their mothers highly disapprove of their having sex and say they had a very good relationship with their mothers are also less likely than other peers to become pregnant. 

3. Reduction in number of sexual partners. On average, youths who feel that their mothers hold more liberal views on teen sexual activity have more sexual partners than peers who believe their mothers hold less liberal views on teen sex.

4. Youth sexual activity. Teen girls who say they have a close relationship with their fathers are less likely to become sexually active.

5. Youth abstinence. Adolescents whose parents discuss what is right and wrong in sexual behavior are more likely to remain abstinent than peers who do not have such talks with their parents.

6. Parent/child discussions. In spite of peers’ behavior that would encourage sexual activity, adolescents who engage in discussions with their parents about sex are less likely to be sexually active or have fewer partners than youth who do not have such talks with their parents.

7. Delayed sexual behavior. Adolescent girls whose mothers communicate with their friends’ parents tend to become sexually active at a later age.

8. Risky behavior. Teens that are closely monitored by their parents are less likely to take risks regarding sexual behavior.

9. Parental rules. Adolescents whose parents set clear rules are less likely to have had sexual intercourse than peers whose parents did not.

10. Setting limits. Teens whose parents set limits on their television viewing or watch television with them are less likely to initiate sexual activity. 

 
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