Correlation between parent-adolescent communication and adolescents’ premarital sex risk

Objective: Previous studies have indicated the parent-adolescent relationship has a correlation to adolescents’ premarital sex behavior risk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to discover the influence of parent-adolescent communication on adolescents’ risk of sexual issues. Method: This was a quantitative study with a cross-sectional design. The population of this study consisted of students from a high school in Jakarta. A purposive sampling technique was used, which resulted in the selection of 253 students as samples. A PACS (Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale) questionnaire was applied. Results: The results showed that 59.3% of the adolescents studied were at risk for engaging in premarital sex, while the risk for adolescents with positive communication with their parents was 56.5%. Bivariate analysis also showed a significant correlation between gender and parent-adolescent communication and the risk of adolescent premarital sex behavior (α < 0.05). This study's result was expected, and nurses can follow up by providing health education on how to maintain good communication between parents and adolescents. Conclusions: Communication must align with adolescents’ developmental tasks. Nurses can also create a promotion program on the topic of communication for parents and adolescents.