Investigating the level of Mothers' comfort in sexual discourse with adolescent girls and related factors

Abstract

Aim: The present study aimed to determine the level of mothers' comfort in sexual discourse (MCSD) with adolescent girls and related factors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with cluster sampling (and then simple random sampling in the clusters) from 10 comprehensive urban health centers in Kashan in the winter of 2022 with participation of 384 mothers. Data were collected through questionnaires: “demographic and personal characteristics,” “MCSD,” and “mother's interest in sexual discourse.” Using SPSS version 16, univariate analysis was performed using indices of dispersion and central tendency, Pearson's correlation coefficient test, and ANOVA, and in the second step, all the variables with P < 0.2 in the univariate analysis were entered into the multiple linear regression model. Results: The mean of MCSD was 37.04 ± 15.16 (on a scale of 13–78). Univariate analysis showed that MCSD has a significant relationship with several factors, but in the multivariate linear regression analysis, the simultaneous presence of two factors of mothers' interest to sexual discourse with girl (the most important factor) and the curiosity of teenagers in obtaining sexual information from their mothers were reported significant in the model and the two mentioned factors explained 43.3% of the variance. Conclusion: In mother–daughter sexual discourse, the level of interest and positive attitude of mothers and the curiosity of teenagers in obtaining sexual information from mothers are the two important factors of MCSD. Therefore, these factors should be taken into account in planning to keep and improve the health of adolescents.

Keywords

• adolescent
• iran
• parent–child sexual communication
• sexual and reproductive health
• teenage girl