Doctors can help parents talk to their teens about sex and alcohol

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There's little that makes parents and teens squirm more than a chat about 'the birds and the bees', but having this chat guided by a doctor may help to reduce the awkwardness and increase its effectiveness, according to research from the US. Talking to moody teens about sex and alcohol can be difficult, so the researchers evaluated the effect that coaching from doctors can have on these discussions. Focusing on 118 families, the researchers separated them into groups consisting of parents coached in alcohol intervention, in sexual health, and no coaching at all. Four months after the initial meeting, families that received coaching reported much more frequent and effective conversations about sex and alcohol compared to the groups that received nothing. As teens are often raging with hormones, having sex and drinking alcohol, the researchers strongly suggest teaching them about pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and alcohol abuse.

Journal/conference: JAMA Network Open

Link to research (DOI): 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.9535

Organisation/s: University of Pennsylvania

Funder: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Media Release

From: JAMA

Doctors Help Parents Talk with Their Teens About Sex, Alcohol

Bottom Line: Parents and teens find it difficult to talk about sex and alcohol, and this study finds that doctors can help. This randomized clinical trial evaluated whether interventions targeted at parents in primary care pediatric settings might improve communications between parents and their teens about sexual health and alcohol use. The interventions were selected because in previous research outside of clinic settings they have been shown to encourage teens to wait until they’re older to have sex, use protection if they do have sex, and reduce alcohol use. The study included 118 parent-adolescent pairs, with 38 pairs in a sexual health intervention, 40 pairs in an alcohol prevention intervention, and 40 pairs in a control group for comparison who received usual care. Parents in the interventions received coaching on key messages regarding sexual health and alcohol and were encouraged to engage in parent-adolescent communication about it within two weeks, at which time there was a follow-up call to parents from health coaches. Participants were surveyed four months later and study authors report an increased frequency of parent-teen communications about sexual health and alcohol use in the intervention groups compared to the control group. Results suggest that doctors have an opportunity to help parents and teens communicate about sex and alcohol in ways that will help young people make healthier choices about sexual behaviors and alcohol use. Limitations of the study include that it was conducted at a single site and parent-teen communications were self-reported.

Authors: Carol A. Ford, M.D., Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and coauthors

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.9535)

Editor’s Note: The article includes conflict of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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