Date of Conferral

7-8-2024

Date of Award

July 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Hedy Dexter

Abstract

Risky sexual behaviors in adolescence continue to be a social problem that impacts individuals, families, and communities across the United States. Previous research showed that parents who actively talk with their adolescents about sex and intimacy topics reduce their likelihood of engaging in these behaviors. Still, less is known about what motivates a parent to engage in these discussions. This correlational quantitative research study aimed to apply Bowlby’s attachment theory and McLeod and Chaffee’s family communication patterns theory to identify if a relationship exists between parental attachment style and the family communication patterns that a parent employs when discussing sex and intimacy topics with their adolescent. Survey Monkey was used to administer a series of surveys to 122 parents presently raising adolescents in their homes. Multiple regression analysis assessed the relationship between a parent’s attachment style and their family communication patterns and if parental gender moderated this relationship. Results indicated that (a) secure parental attachment was positively related to high rates of conversation-orientation communication with their adolescents about sex and intimacy, (b) disorganized or ambivalent parental attachment was positively related to conformity-orientation communication patterns with lower rates of communication, and (c) parental gender did not moderate the relationship between parental attachment style and family communication patterns. With this knowledge of parental motivation to communicate with their adolescents about sex and intimacy, positive social change can be facilitated by developing educational programs and services aimed at preparing parents for these discussions.

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