Adolescent-Parent Communication as a Predictor of Adolescents’ Sexual Behaviours in Public Secondary Schools in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64983/mkgj3m95Abstract
Adolescents’ sexual behaviour is a major global concern, as it is associated with life-threatening
consequences among young people in both developed and developing countries, including Kenya. The
purpose of this study was to examine the predictive effect of adolescent-parent communication on
adolescents’ sexual behaviours in public secondary schools in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The study set
out two (2) objectives and consequently two (2) null hypotheses to guide it. The study adopted pragmatic
world view, mixed research methods approach and sought theoretical guidance from the Problem Behaviour
Theory (PBT). The target population was 27773 respondents comprising of form 2 and form 3 students
from 187 public secondary schools in Uasin Gishu County. Using Sloven’s formulae, 394 students and 7
teacher counselors were purposefully selected to participate in the study. Adolescent-parent communication
and adolescent sexual behaviour were assessed using adapted items from the Parent Child Relationship
Scheme Scale (PCRSS 2014) and the Youth Risk Behaviour Survey Scale (YRBS) (CDC, 2014)
respectively. Quantitative data was analysed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and simple linear
regression to establish the relationship and the predictive effect of adolescent-parental communication on
adolescents’ sexual behaviours at p <. 05. Pearson correlation results showed a statistically significant
negative relationship between adolescent parental communication and adolescents’ sexual behaviour r(318)
= -.733, p < .001. Simple Linear regression results indicated that adolescents’ sexual behaviour was
predicted by adolescent-parental communication t(318) = 19.196, p < .001 with R2 = .537. Qualitative data
from teacher-counselors was reported verbatim and corroborated the quantitative findings. Based on the
Pearson’s coefficient (r) and coefficient of determination (R2), the two null hypotheses (H01 & H02) were
rejected at p < .05. Regression analysis showed that adolescent-parent communication is a useful predictor
of adolescents’ sexual behaviour t(19.196) in public secondary schools in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The
study established a statistically significant relationship between adolescent-parent communication and
adolescents’ sexual behaviour in public secondary schools in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. This implies that
improved communication between parents and adolescents is associated with reduced engagement in risky
sexual behaviours among adolescents. The study recommends that Schools, in collaboration with the
Ministry of Education and community stakeholders, should implement programs that sensitize and train
parents on effective communication skills, particularly concerning sexual and reproductive health
matters.
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