Parenting practices and styles associated with adolescent sexual health in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Lusajo J. Kajula*, Nancy Darling, Sylvia F. Kaaya, Hein De Vries

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Parenting styles and practices are suggested to be important predictors of adolescent sexual health, mostly in Europe and North America. Limited research has been conducted on these processes in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has different patterns of adolescent sexual behavior and family traditions. This study qualitatively explored parenting practices and styles associated with adolescent sexual health in Tanzania, with 12 adolescents and 12 parents of adolescents. The themes we identified from the data included parental monitoring, preventive, and punitive behaviors. Parents were reported to use mostly punitive behaviors to correct or prohibit sexual behavior; parents also set clear rules about appropriate sexual behavior (e.g., modesty and abstinence). Parents were also reported to closely monitor their adolescent children's friendships and sexual behavior to minimize sexual behavior. However, some parents also engaged in positive preventive practices aimed at protecting their adolescent children.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1467-1472
JournalAids Care-Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of Aids/Hiv
Volume28
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2016

Keywords

  • Tanzania
  • sexual behavior
  • adolescent
  • parenting practices
  • parenting styles

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