Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Adolescents belonging to lower socio economic groups, seem to be at risk for teenage pregnancies as well as the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. It is therefore important to study the sexual behaviour of these adolescents. This study focussed on the sexual behaviour of coloured and black female adolescents from working class communities. The respondents consisted of all the coloured and black female adolescents in a traditional coloured and a traditional black school in a semi-rural area. A self-administrative questionnaire was used. The questionnaire focussed on biographical details, the language adolescents use when they talk about sex as well as their sexual and contraceptive behaviour. The goals of the study were to describe the sexual behaviour of the black adolescents and to compare the sexual behaviour of the coloured and the black respondents. A quantitative methodology was used to examine the black respondents' range of sexual behaviour, communication about sex, sexual force and molestation as well as high risk sexual behaviour. According to the results a high percentage of black adolescents used Western and medical terms when they talk about sex. The sexually active black adolescents had coitus at an early age which could have implications for the incidence of teenage pregnancies and HIV/AIDS. A large percentage of the black adolescents indicated that they did not masturbate. Most of the black adolescents also indicated that they did not talk about sex with other people. A small percentage of the black adolescents reported that they were sexually molested or raped. A comparison with the coloured adolescents indicated that: more of the black adolescents reported that they had had coitus; more black adolescents reported pregnancies, more black respondents reported that they masturbated and fewer black adolescents reported that they smoked and used alcohol. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Adolessente wat aan laer sosio-ekonomtese graepe behaart, blyk 'n hoë risikagroep te wees vir tienerswangerskappe sawel as vir seksueel-aardraagbare siektes en MIV/VIGS. deel vorm. Dit is dus belangrik dat hierdie adalessente se seksuele gedrag nagevars ward. Hierdie studie het gefakus ap die seksuele gedrag van bruin en swart vroulike adolessente afkamstig uit werkersklas gemeenskappe. Die respandente het bestaan uit alle vroulike adolessente by 'n tradisianele bruin skaal en 'n tradisionele swart skaal in 'n semilandelike area. 'n Self-geadministreerde vraelys wat gefakus het ap biagrafiese gegewens, die taal wat adolessente gebruik wanneer hulle van seks praat asook seksuele en kantraseptiewe gedrag is in die studie gebruik. Die dael van die studie is eerstens om 'n beskrywing te bied van die swart adolessente se seksuele gedrag en tweedens om die seksuele gedrag van die bruin en swart adolessente met mekaar te vergelyk. "n Kwantitatiewe metadalagie is gebruik om die spektrum van seksuele gedrag, kommunikasie aar seks, seksuele dwang en malestering asook haë risiko seksuele gedrag van die swart respandente te ondersoek, Die resultate het daarop gedui dat "n graot persentasie van die swart adolessente gebruik maak van Westerse en mediese terme wanneer hulle van seks praat. Die aanvang van koïtus vir die seksueel aktiewe swart adolessente was ap "n vroeë ouderdom , wat implikasies kan hê vir die voorkoms van tienerswangerskappe en MIV/VIGS. 'n Graat persentasie van die swart adolessente het gerapparteer dat hulle nie masturbeer nie. Dit het verder geblyk dat hierdie graep swart adolessente selde verbaal aar seks kammunikeer met ander persone. "n Klein persentasie van die swart adolessente het qerapporteer dat hulle seksueel gemalesteer af verkrag is. "n Vergelyking met die bruin adolessente het aangedui dat meer swart adolessente kaitus gehad het, meer swart adalessente swangerskappe gerapparteer het, meer swart adalessente aangedui het dat hulle gemasturbeer het en dat minder swart adolessente raak en alkahalgebruik gerapparteer het.

The purpose of the study was to find the relationship between adolescent premarital sexual activity and involvement in the family, school, and church. The sample was composed of 192 adolescents. The data were analyzed for significant relationships by using chi square test of independence. The study found that there were significant relationships between adolescent premarital sexual activity and family structure, family mobility, parental employment, grade level achievement, and parental attendance at school functions. Since the findings of a study of this nature are pertinent to society, further research needs to be done using a more heterogeneous sample and a more refined, limited instrument. The instrument should be further tested for reliability and validity.

Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), this dissertation explores whether fathers talking to their children about dating affects the odds of their children having unprotected sex when they are emerging adults. Logistic regressions were used to analyze the relationship between one measure of father engagement, talking to the child about dating, and sexual risk taking, operationalized as having unprotected sex. Utilizing social capital theory and Lamb, Pleck, Charnov and Levine’s (1985, 1987) conceptualization of fatherhood, this paper explored the possibility that father involvement could either increase or decrease child’s sexual risk. Results from the first model indicate that talking to the father about dating increases the odds of children having unprotected sex. The results also showed that feeling close to the father was not a moderator. The second model investigated if there is a difference in the effect of father involvement by gender. Talking to the father about dating increased the odds of nonresident daughters and resident sons having unprotected sex. Feeling close to the father was not a moderator. The third model explored if there was a difference in the effects of father involvement by race and did find a difference. White resident children had increased odds of having unprotected sex if they talked to their fathers about dating. Feeling close to the father was not a moderator in this chapter. These results challenge the prominent narrative in the literature that father involvement is an unmitigated good influence in the child’s life; instead, these results show that for some children father involvement can create more harm than good. It is important to note that most fathers did not talk to their children about dating and that the specific content and tone of the conversations these fathers had with their children is unknown. There is space in the literature to explore how specific messages fathers give their children influence their sexual risk decisions in the future. There is also space for the creation of feminist focused fatherhood programs to help fathers talk to their children about dating and sex in a way that reduces child risk taking when they are older.

This dissertation explores peer and parental relationship factors that influence adolescent decision-making around sexual health. An adapted conceptual model linking adolescent sexual behavior with well-being was used to guide the research throughout this dissertation. Chapter One addresses the current state of adolescent sexual health, including trends in teen pregnancy and rates of sexually transmitted infections as well as federal and state policy towards sex education. Extant research on peer and family influence on sexual health behaviors is also introduced. Chapter Two, a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, synthesized data from nine studies measuring the association between adolescent sexting and sexual activity. Pooling data from 9,676 adolescents, the odds of reporting sexual activity was 6.3 times higher, 95% CI [4.9-8.1], Q = 14.3, I2 = 65.1, for adolescents who sent sexts compared to those who did not. Findings from this review highlight the need to include sexting in sexual health curriculum and in clinical conversations with youth about healthy relationship dynamics. Chapter Three, a systematic review of child-reported parental monitoring instruments, followed the “COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments” (COSMIN) methodology, including a summative grading of evidence to examine the psychometric properties of each instrument over time. Seventy-two studies representing six monitoring instruments were evaluated. Of these, four were knowledge-based and two were solicitation or disclosure-based. Based on findings of this review, the Parental Monitoring Instrument and the Poor Family Management Subscale of the Communities that Care Youth Survey had the strongest psychometric properties and are recommended for use. Using data from 9,847 adolescents and parents who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), the study presented in Chapter Four examined the association between parental and perceived peer attitudes towards contraception and sex and contraceptive use at two timepoints: adolescence and emerging adulthood. The moderating effect of perceived peer attitudes on parental attitudes and communication about birth control was also explored. Among female adolescents, adjusting for grade level, race/ethnicity, family income, adolescent attitude towards birth control, and parental communication about birth control, parental attitudes toward contraception and sex was significantly associated with contraceptive use. Of the variables studied, only family household income was significantly associated with greater contraception use at both study timepoints. Chapter Five summarizes the findings and collective themes across studies included as part of this dissertation, acknowledges study strengths and limitations, and addresses implications for advocacy, research, and policy in adolescent sexual health.

This study updates prior examinations of sexual content on daytime soap operas by investigating verbal references, implied sexual acts and mentions of sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, it extends earlier work by analyzing the commitment level and age of those involved in the sexual content. Finally, this study will attempt to obtain a clear picture of what adolescents perceive while viewing these shows. This was investigated by conducting adolescent and adult focus groups to see how they talk about soap operas. Also, comparisons were made of adult and adolescent coding of the sexual content on soap operas. All daytime soap operas were recorded twice per month for a six month period in 1995. From this sample, 36 hours of programming were coded for sexual content. For the adolescent and adult comparison studies, six adolescents and six adults from the Portland metropolitan area were selected to take part in focus groups and soap opera coding. Each of these subjects is a current soap opera viewer and all watched Days of Our Lives. The findings in this study do not support a social learning theory account, according to which the content of television programming provides a basis for undesirable effects. This study shows that soap operas provide both positive and negative depictions of sexual activity. It suggests that the age and/or background of the viewer has a more significant influence on what the viewer gets from the viewing experience.

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