'What, me worry?': Parents' reasons for worry and nonworry about adolescent risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI).
Little is known about the bases of parental worry about adolescents' risk for acquiring a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Parents (N = 247) of adolescents 12-17 years endorsed reasons that explained their worry or nonworry. Parents' past experience of an STI, perception of the child's sexual activity, and racial self-identification were predictors of worry. Cluster analyses identified five groups of worriers and four groups of nonworriers. Worriers tended to select reasons reflecting an external parental locus of control or child-specific reasons. Nonworriers endorsed reasons consistent with internal parental locus of control. Findings suggest that preventive health communication should be tailored to parents' perceptions of risk and protective factors.
Sturm
Lynne A
LA
Riley Child Development Center & Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis 46202, USA. lsturm@iupui.edu
Mays
Rose M
RM
Juliar
Beth
B
Bair
Rita M
RM
Perkins
Susan
S
Zimet
Gregory D
GD
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000523:psychology; D012306:Risk; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult