Texto

Journal of Adolescent Research 2015, Vol. 30(1) 31–56 © The Author(s) 2014 DOI:
10.1177/0743558414546718

The Role of Extended Family in Teen Sexual Health

Jennifer M. Grossman, Allison J. Tracy, Amanda M. Richer, and Sumru Erkut

Wellesley College, MA, USA

ABSTRACT

1.Despite increasing extended family involvement in child rearing, particularly in minority families,
2.few studies have investigated their role in talking with teens about sex or how this relates to teens’
3.sexual behavior. This mixed-methods study assesses extended family sexuality communication
4.through a survey of 1,492 diverse middle school students and interviews with 32 students.
5.Logistic regression shows that participants who report having had sex are more likely to report
6.talking with extended family than those who report not having had sex. Interview themes explored
7.reasons for and content of teen sexuality conversations with extended family. More sexually
8.active teens’ reporting communication with extended family is interpreted as extended family
9.members gaining importance in sexuality communication as teens become sexually active.

INTRODUCTION

10.Today’s adolescents experience development (1) against a changing demographic backdrop,

11.where nuclear families are no longer the statistical norm (Blackwell, 2010). Adolescents often
12.rely on nontraditional communities for support, including extended family and “fictive kin (1),”
13.who can serve as core parts of the family unit, particularly among African American and Latino
14.families (Jones & Lindahl, 2011; Stanton-Salazar, 2001). Despite these demographic shifts, most
15.research on family sexuality communication has focused on the parent-teen dyad, typically
16.mother and teen (see DiIorio, Pluhar, & Belcher, 2003). While parents play an important role in
17.sexuality communication (Albert, 2010), less than half of teens report having these conversations
18.with their parents (2) (Robert & Sonenstein, 2010).

(1) Fictive kinship (or fictive kin) is a term used by anthropologists and ethnographers to describe
forms of kinship or social ties that are based on neither consanguineal (blood ties) nor affinal ("by
marriage") ties, in contrast to true kinship ties.

19.Emerging studies suggest that teens, particularly urban, minority youth, often identify extended
20.family members as supports and resources for sexuality communication (Crohn, 2010; Harper et
21.al., 2012; Teitelman, Bohinski, & Boente, 2009), although little is known about the content or
22.process of these interactions. More information is needed to understand (3) sexuality
23.communication among adolescents whose family systems are not well-represented by existing
24.research, including who teens talk to about sex, how it relates to teen sexual behavior, and why
25.teens talk with extended family members about sexual issues (4). In this article, the importance
26.of nonparent kin in minority families’ social ecology guides our use of the term extended family
27.to encompass the larger family context of who teens identify as family, which can include both
28.family members, such as stepparents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and involved
29.nonfamily members, such as godparents or close friends of the family.
Sexuality Communication with Extended Family

30.A number of studies report on why some youth are reluctant to talk with their parents about
31.sex, with young people describing these conversations as socially inappropriate or embarrassing,
32.and expressing concern that they will disappoint their parents, who might judge them or worry
33.about their sexual behaviors (Crohn, 2010; Guerrero & Afifi, 1995). Studies have identified
34.stepmothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family friends as nonparental sources of sexual
35.information (Harper et al., 2012; Teitelman et al., 2009). Some studies suggest that adolescents
36.seek extended family as a more comfortable alternative to parents (O’Sullivan, Meyer-Bahlburg,
37.& Watkins, 2001; Teitelman et al., 2009) as they begin to explore sexuality and relationships
38(Crohn, 2010). These findings fit with developmental theory, which suggests that increasing
39.autonomy and agency, and growing social networks in adolescence (Zimmer-Gembeck &
40.Collins, 2003; Zimmerman & Cleary, 2006) are likely to expand opportunities to engage with
41.extended family networks. This research implies that extended family members may play a
42.different role for teens’ sexuality communication (5) than do parents. Specifically, distinctions
43.from parental roles may allow teens to feel comfortable bringing questions and concerns to
44.extended family members that they would not raise with parents. Alternately, extended family
45.members may provide different perspectives and approaches than parents, potentially
46.complementing and enhancing parents’ conversations with teens about sex and relationships.
47.However, the vast majority of research on family sexuality communication takes place with
48.parents (see DiIorio et al., 2003), and exploration is needed to see how the content and process
49.of extended family sexuality communication are similar to and different from teens’
50.conversations with parents.

51.Only a few studies have explored associations between extended family sexuality
52.communication and teens’ sexual health, including health-promoting attitudes, self-efficacy, and
53.behavior. A survey study of Black and White teens found that learning about sex from
54.grandparents was associated with reduced self-efficacy beliefs around having sex, which the
55.authors identify as protective, while learning about sex from cousins was associated with
56.positive beliefs about sexual behavior (e.g., sex would make you feel good about yourself;
57.Bleakley, Hennessy, Fishbein, & Jordan, 2009). A study of Midwestern high school students
58.found that teens who reported talking about safer sex with both parents and older siblings
59.reported less risky attitudes about sexual behavior, such as a belief that it is better to delay sex
60.until you are older, as well as greater self-efficacy in talking with a partner about using condoms
61.than teens who did not report having these conversations (Kowal & Blinn-Pike, 2004). However,
62.to our knowledge, only one study examines relationships between extended family sexuality
63.communication and teens’ sexual behavior. This study of eighth- and ninth-grade Latino students
64.found that comfort in discussing sexuality with family was associated with reduced likelihood of
65.having sex and older age of first sex (Guzmán et al., 2003). This finding suggests that comfort in
66.talking with family about sex can be protective, as early initiation of sex predicts greater
67.likelihood of STIs and unintended pregnancy (6) (von Ranson, Rosenthal, Biro, & Succop,
68.2000). However, this study cannot discern the unique role of extended family communication, as
69.it assesses the combined influence of both parents and extended family. Overall, these studies
70.indicate links between extended family sexuality communication and teen sexual health
71.constructs, but provide little information regarding its associations with teen sexual behavior or
72.why teens talk with their extended families about sex and relationships.

The Current Study

73.The first goal of this mixed-methods study is to assess the association between adolescents’
74.sexuality communication with extended family and their reports of having had sex in eighth
75.grade. We view these associations through a developmental lens to understand the importance of
76.this communication for teens who are and who are not sexually active. Therefore, the
77.quantitative research question is as follows: Do teens who have had sex talk more with extended
78.family members than students who have not had sex? Based on increasing autonomy, agency,
79.and expanded networks during adolescence, we hypothesize that teens who report having had
80.sex are more likely to report communication with extended family members (7). The second goal
81.of this study is to begin exploring the content and process of these conversations. The qualitative
82.research questions are as follows:

83.Research Question 1: Why do teens talk with extended family about sex?

84.Research Question 2: What aspects of sexual behavior and health do they talk about with
extended family?

Cuestionario
Indique los renglones de donde extrajo las respuestas.

1. Read the title, skim the abstract and the introduction and write down ten key words or phrases.

2. Scan the abstract and the introduction and write negatives or any other words that may signal a
gap in research.

3. Considering the answers to the previous questions, state what gap in research the authors
indicate. (Remember this is a reading hypothesis)

4. What concepts do the connectors underlined in the text link? What kind of logical relation do
they express?

Despite (line 14) …………..…………………………………………………………

Such as (line 59) …………………………..………………………………………….

5. What do the words underlined in the text refer to?

Their (line 30) ………………………………………………………………………….

It (line 69) ………………………………………………………………………………

In your own words, state the information the authors give when they:

6. Revise previous research (include information about three previous publications).

7. Indicate the gaps in research on this topic.
8. Indicate the goals of the study and the two research questions.
9. Paraphrase the 7 underlined phrases.