Mother-Daughter Communication about Sex

Patterns of mother-daughter communication on 6 specific sexual topics (menstruation dating and boyfriends sexual morality how babies are made sexual intercourse and birth control) are reported for a sample of 898 black and white urban mothers and their teenage daughters. Most mothers and daughters reported having discussed all 6 of the topics. The agree on age at which each topic was introduced but differ in terms of who is seen as the initiator of the discussion how comfortable they are discussing sex and whether more discussion is wanted. The mothers were generally more comfortable in discussing all topics and wanted more discussion. In addition the extent of sexual communication was found to vary somewhat by social and family characteristics. Notably there was found to be a reluctance to discuss the topics of sexual intercourse and birth control among families that could be labeled conservative. Mother-daughter communication is seen as key in preventing unwanted teenage conceptions and it is important for counseling and educational programs to recognize that differences in cultural educational and social background are related to different reasons for avoiding discussions about sex. (Authors modified)