Prevalence of Sexual Health Dialogue between Mothers and Adolescents and Associated Factors in Sari, Iran 2020

Mothers are in the first line of adolescent sexual health education. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sexual health dialogue between mothers and adolescents and related factors in households covered by urban health care centers in Sari, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 196 mothers of adolescents (15-19 years) using simple random sampling between August 2020 and January 2021. Data were collected using a Medical Socio-Demographic Questionnaire, a researcher-made questionnaire investigating the barriers to sexual health dialogue between parents and adolescents, and the Sexual Health Dialogue. Data analysis was performed applying logistic regression analysis.

Almost all mothers (99.5%) had a dialogue about at least one of the topics associated with sexual health with their adolescents. However, good-quality dialogue about sexual health was observed in 49%. Embaressment (54.8% of boys and 38% of girls) and encouraging curiosity about sex (49% of boys and 58.7% of girls) were the most frequent barriers to sexual health dialogue between mothers and adolecents of both genders. Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of good-quality dialogue about sexual health between mothers and sons were 93% less than that between mothers and daughters.

Considering the low frequency of good-quality dialogue about sexual health between mothers and adolescents, attention to the barriers involved in this dialogue and essential appropriate approaches are necessary measures in adolescent health policy.