Facilitating parent-child sexual health communication: Recommendations from the New Brunswick “Ask Me Anything” survey

Abstract

New Brunswick has high rates of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies among youth, indicative of high-risk sexual behaviours. Positive parent-child sexual health communication can help youth develop healthy sexual practices, though a lack of available resources to support caregivers in their role as sexual health educators for their children has been reported. This study investigated the current sexual health education practices and needs of parents, step-parents, and guardians to inform the development and/or adaptation of resources to support parents as sexual health educators. Parents, step-parents, and guardians were recruited via email, social media, and poster-based outreach ( N = 5,462). Using the “Ask Me Anything” survey containing 41 items, participants’ demographic characteristics, current sexual health education practices, and sexual health education needs were captured. Descriptive statistics analyzed demographic characteristics and survey variables. Most participants indicated that they were primarily responsible for children’s sexual health education and felt they had sufficient knowledge and comfort to provide it. Parents reported communicating about sexual health a moderate amount with their children and were ambivalent about their satisfaction with existing resources and the sexual health education provided in schools. One-third of participants expressed needing more resources to support school-based education and to identify age-appropriate topics. Understanding parental needs and attitudes regarding sexual health education highlights opportunities for improvement by provincial health authorities and school districts. Recommendations to support the development of resources to address the specific needs of New Brunswick parents and guardians are suggested.