Family and Sex Education: A survey of parental attitudes

The aim of the study was (a) to survey the attitudes and views of Greek parents on the role of the family in children's sexual development and education and (b) to detect how teachers, university students and high school pupils evaluate the role of the family. The research team applied an anonymous questionnaire with closed and open questions. Answers to closed questions were elaborated by descriptive statistics, while those to open questions were treated by content analysis. The results indicated that subjects believed that families today do not have, to a satisfactory level, adequate requirements to provide appropriate sex education. Parental attitudes, particularly, revealed a great variety of views on what might be the long-term aims of sex education, and underlined the need for sexual morality. Parents believe that concern for children's sexual development should start even from pre-school years and that immodest scenes may have a negative influence upon children's sexual behaviour. They also believe that the people (parents or teachers) involved in sex education should have some special personal characteristics as well as a good training.