How parents might influence when teens first have sex

What is it about?

This review looked at how different parenting practices affect when teenagers have their first sexual experience. Parents play a big role in how teens develop in healthy ways, including decisions about when to start having sex. But parenting includes many different behaviors, so it's important to figure out which ones matter most. To do this, we reviewed 19 studies that examined the link between parenting and the timing of teens’ first sexual activity. These studies were found through a careful search in research databases. Most of the studies showed that how much control or monitoring parents use does have an effect. However, the results became more complicated when the studies used more advanced analyses. One important factor that stood out was family structure—for example, whether teens live with both parents or in a single-parent home. This seemed to have a stronger impact than other parenting behaviors when all factors were considered together. Our review shows that parenting matters, but the relationship is complex. For professionals like social workers or psychologists, focusing on family structure and how much parents guide and monitor their children may help support teens in making healthy decisions about sex.

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Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash

Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study helps clarify how parenting and family structure influence when teens first have sex. The findings can guide parents and professionals in supporting healthy adolescent development and highlight areas for future research.

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