“We are glad that almost three-quarters of parents do not associate discussing sex with their children with wanting to try it,” said Shailey Hingorani, the head of research and advocacy at AWARE.
“After all, comprehensive sexuality education, which presents information in a factual rather than moralistic or alarmist manner, has been found to produce the outcomes that most parents desire: Youths start having sex at a later age, have fewer sexual partners, use condoms more consistently and contract sexually transmitted infections less often.”
However, Hingorani said that “it’s worrying that only around half of parents feel comfortable discussing these core topics with their children”.
As a result, the lack of information can initiate a cascade of issues. “When I see young patients with unplanned pregnancies, there usually have not been prior discussions (about sex),” said Dr Susan Logan, a senior consultant with National University Hospital’s Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Chow added that “parent-child communication is important as it increases contraceptive use and reduces the impact of sexually transmitted infections. Communicating frequently and clearly about this topic can help to keep children safe”.