title: Promoting Parent-Child Sexual Health Dialogue with an Intergenerational Game: Parent and Youth Perspectives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sexual health discussions between parents and their preadolescent youth can delay sexual debut and increase condom and contraceptive use. However, parents frequently report being uncomfortable talking with their youth about sex, often reporting a lack of self-efficacy and skills to inform and motivate responsible decision making by youth. Intergenerational games may support parent-youth sexual health communication. The purpose of this study was to explore parent and youth perspectives on a proposed intergenerational game designed to increase effective parent-youth sexual health communication and skills training.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight focus groups were conducted: four with parents (n=20) and four with their 11-14-year-old youth (n=19), to identify similarities and differences in perspectives on gaming context, delivery channel, content, and design (components, features, and function) that might facilitate dyadic sexual health communication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants concurred that a sex education game could improve communication while being responsive to family time constraints. They affirmed the demand for an immersive story-based educational adventure game using mobile platforms and flexible communication modalities. Emergent themes informed the development of a features inventory (including educational and gaming strategies, communication components, channel, and setting) and upper-level program flow to guide future game development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study supports the potential of a game to be a viable medium to bring a shared dyadic sexual health educational experience to parents and youth that could engage them in a motivationally appealing way to meaningfully impact their sexual health communication and youth sexual risk behaviors.
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Jina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: D'Cruz
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Santa Maria
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dube
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Markham
authors.affiliation: 2 Radiant Creative Group , Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Johnny M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Wilkerson
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Melissa F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Peskin
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tortolero
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shegog
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D060728:Reproductive Health / Q000193:education*; D021841:Safe Sex; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D012985:Software Design; D013781:Texas; D018910:Video Games