FAMILY PROCESS AND ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY: THE RELATIONSHIP OF FAMILY FUNCTIONING, PARENT-ADOLESCENT COMMUNICATION, AND AGE OF THE ADOLESCENT TO ADOLESCENT DISCLOSURE OF SEXUALITY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER DYAD.
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 194
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This descriptive-correlational study describes the relationship of selected family process variables and age of the adolescent, to adolescent daughter disclosure of sexuality within the context of the mother-daughter dyad. Research suggests that such disclosure may protect many young adolescents from problems associated with their emerging sexuality. Within the context of Choice and Exchange Theory (Nye, 1982), this study examined features of the mother-daughter relationship which support sexual disclosure by the young adolescent female within this family subsystem.

One-hundred and twenty-seven mother-daughter dyads, selected by systematic random sampling, completed self-report measures of family functioning and parent-adolescent communication, the family process predictor variables. Age of the adolescent was a third predictor variable. A factor score served as a criterion measure of adolescent daughter disclosure of sexuality.

Correlational analysis showed positive relationships among adolescent disclosure of sexuality and (1) daughter perceived family functioning (p = $<$.01), (2) daughter perceived parent-adolescent communication (p = $<$.001), and (3) mother perceived parent-adolescent communication (p = $<$.05). Age of the adolescent was negatively related to adolescent sexual disclosure (p = $<$.01).

Multiple regression analysis revealed that daughter perceived parent-adolescent communication was the most effective predictor of adolescent disclosure of sexuality, accounting for 37% of the observed variance in adolescent disclosure scores. Age of the adolescent was also a significant predictor. Together, daughter perceived parent-adolescent communication and age of the adolescent accounted for 41% of the explained variance in adolescent daughter disclosure of sexuality within the mother-daughter dyad.

Mother-daughter dyadic mean scores on family functioning and parent-adolescent communication were positively related to adolescent disclosure of sexuality at the dyadic level of analysis (p = $<$.001). Analysis of Variance revealed significant differences in mother-daughter perceptions of parent-adolescent communications. Differences in perceptions of family functioning were not significant.

Significant for nurses involved in parent-child or other family research, is the additional insight gained by collecting data from more than one family member and examining the data separately and also at the dyadic or family level of analyses. Findings should provide information useful for nurses working in family and preventive mental health programs which assist young adolescent females and their families cope with issues surrounding the adolescent's sexuality.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-07, Section: B, page: 1937.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1987.

School code: 0227.