TALKING PARENTS, HEALTHY TEENS
OVERVIEW
The Talking Parents, Healthy Teens program is a workplace-based intervention for parents of adolescent children. The intervention is aimed at helping parents learn how to discuss sexual health topics with their children. In an evaluation of the intervention, 569 parents were randomly assigned to either receive the Talking Parents, Healthy Teens intervention or to a no-treatment control group. Results indicated that, relative to the control parents, those receiving the intervention reported being able to communicate better with their adolescents regarding sexual health topics. Adolescents whose parents had received the intervention also reported significantly better sex-related parent-adolescent communication relative to control group adolescents. Finally, adolescents with parents in the control group were significantly more likely to report having been taught to properly use a condom relative to control group adolescents.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
Target population: Parents with children in grades 6 through 10.
The Talking Parents, Healthy Teens intervention is a workplace-based program for parents who have adolescent children. The program is geared towards teaching parents how to discuss various sexual health topics with their children. Parents are also instructed on how to teach their children communication, assertiveness, and decision making skills, and on how to better supervise and interact with their children. The program is implemented using role-playing, instructional videotapes, games, and group discussions. Participating parents attend eight, weekly, one-hour lunchtime sessions in their office environments, and are also given home assignments. Sessions are group-based and led by a facilitator and an assistant.
Schuster, M.A., Corona, R., Elliott, M.N., Kanouse, D.E., Eastman, K.L., Zhou, A.J., & Klein, D.J. (2008). Evaluation of Talking Parents, Healthy Teens, a new worksite based parenting programme to promote parent-adolescent communication about sexual health: Randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 337: a308.
Evaluated population: 569 working parents and their 683 adolescents served as the sample for this evaluation. Parents were recruited from 13 large public and private worksites in southern California. Multiple adolescents from each family were able to participate in the study.
Of the parents who provided follow-up data (n = 535), 72% were female, 49% were between the ages of 35 and 44, 39% had at least some college education, and 31% had a household income of over $125,000 per year. The race/ethnicity breakdown for these parents was as follows: 47% white, 17% African-American, 16% Latino, and 14% Asian or Pacific Islander. Of the adolescents who provided follow-up data (n = 627), 51% were female.
Approach: Parent participants were randomly assigned to either receive the intervention or to a no-treatment control group. Parents receiving the intervention participated in eight, weekly, hour-long sessions. Sessions were administered during lunchtime and in the workplace environment. Parents in the no-treatment control group did not receive an intervention.
Parents and adolescents were assessed at baseline, and at one-week, three-month, and nine-month follow-ups. They were asked to report on whether they had discussed each of 24 sex-related topics, parent-adolescent communication ability, and parent-adolescent communication openness. Adolescents were also asked to report whether or not one of their parents had showed them how to use condoms.
Results: Parent Reports: Post-intervention, parents in the treatment group reported having discussed significantly more new sexual topics with their adolescents than parents in the control group. Parents receiving the intervention were also significantly less likely to have discussed no new topics (8 vs. 29%) and significantly more likely to have discussed seven or more new topics compared to the control group (38 vs. 8%) by the nine-month post-intervention assessment. Parents in the intervention group were also significantly more likely to report repeating sexual health topics post-intervention and at the three- and nine-month follow-ups relative to control group parents. Relative to control parents, those in the intervention reported significant increases in their ability to talk with their adolescents about sex-related topics at all follow-up assessment points. Finally, parents in the intervention group reported significantly more openness of communication about sexual matters post-intervention and at the three- and nine-month follow-ups.
Adolescent Reports: Post-intervention, adolescents in the intervention group reported having discussed significantly more new sexual topics with their parents than adolescents in the control group. Adolescents in the intervention group were significantly more likely to report repeatedly discussing sexual health topics with their parents post-intervention and at the three- and nine-month follow-ups relative to control group participants. Intervention group adolescents were significantly more likely than control group adolescents to report that their parents had taught them to use a condom, and this difference had grown by the nine-month follow-up (29 vs. 5%). Finally, at the three- and nine-month follow-ups, adolescents in the intervention group were significantly more likely than those in the control group to report being able to talk to their parents about sex-related topics.
Information on implementing this program can be obtained from:
M.A. Schuster
Children's Hospital Boston
300 Longwood Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
e-mail: mark.schuster@childrens.harvard.edu
Schuster, M.A., Corona, R., Elliott, M.N., Kanouse, D.E., Eastman, K.L., Zhou, A.J., & Klein, D.J. (2008). Evaluation of Talking Parents, Healthy Teens, a new worksite based parenting programme to promote parent-adolescent communication about sexual health: Randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 337: a308.
Schuster, M.A., Eastman, K.L., & Corona, R. (2006). Talking Parents, Health Teens: A worksite-based program for parents to promote adolescent sexual health. Preventing Chronic Disease, 3(4), 1-10.
Program categorized in this guide according to the following:
Evaluated participant ages: 11 to 16
Evaluated participant grades: Grades 6 through 10
Program age ranges in the guide: Middle Childhood, Adolescence
Program components: Parent or Family Component
Measured outcomes: Teen Pregnancy and Reproductive Health
Keywords: Adolescents, Middle School, High School, Co-ed, Multi-racial, Parent Training, Sexual Activity, Condom Use and Contraception, Parent-Child Relationship
Program information last updated on 6/11/09.