title: African-American Fathers' Perspectives on Facilitators and Barriers to Father-Son Sexual Health Communication.
abstract: African-American males ages 13 through 24 are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), accounting for over half of all HIV infections in this age group in the United States. Clear communication between African-American parents and their youth about sexual health is associated with higher rates of sexual abstinence, condom use, and intent to delay initiation of sexual intercourse. However, little is known about African-American fathers' perceptions of what facilitates and inhibits sexual health communication with their preadolescent and adolescent sons. We conducted focus groups with 29 African-American fathers of sons ages 10-15 to explore perceived facilitators and barriers for father-son communication about sexual health. Participants were recruited from barbershops in metropolitan and rural North Carolina communities highly affected by STIs and HIV, and data were analyzed using content analysis. Three factors facilitated father-son communication: (a) fathers' acceptance of their roles and responsibilities; (b) a positive father-son relationship; and (c) fathers' ability to speak directly to their sons about sex. We also identified three barriers: (a) fathers' difficulty in initiating sexual health discussions with their sons; (b) sons' developmental readiness for sexual health information; and (c) fathers' lack of experience in talking with their own fathers about sex. These findings have implications for father-focused prevention interventions aimed at reducing risky sexual behaviors in adolescent African-American males. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor School of Nursing, Program for Research on Men's Health Duke University, DUMC 3322 307 Trent Drive, Durham, NC, 27710.|Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Schenita D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Randolph
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC.
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coakley
authors.affiliation: Professor, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shears
authors.affiliation: Program for Research on Men's Health, Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Roland J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Thorpe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D005219:Father-Child Relations / Q000208:ethnology*; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D017144:Focus Groups; D058015:Health Communication; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D009679:Nuclear Family / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D060728:Reproductive Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: HIV; adolescence; fathering; infectious diseases; sexual health communication