Highlights
- •More than half of the fathers did not receive sex education in their childhood.
- •The ASTSE score was higher in fathers with a son and university and higher education degree.
- •The ASTSE score was higher in fathers receiving sex education in their childhood and those receiving it from their fathers.
- •There is a relationship between fathers' parental role attitudes toward sex education and their sexual communication.
Abstract
Background and purpose
The study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of parents in the role of a father in Turkey
toward child sex education and their sexual communication with their children.
Methods
This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with the fathers of children
in the pediatric outpatient clinic at a state hospital between December 30, 2021,
and April 15, 2022. The study was reported based on STROBE. The data were collected
from 297 fathers using the Descriptive Information Form, the Attitudes Scale Toward
Sex education (ASTSE), and the Sexual Communication Scale for Parents(SCSP).
Results
Sample statistics demonstrate that 67.7% of the participants did not receive sex education
in their childhood, and 57.4% stated that their children received sex education only
from their mothers. Higher attitudes toward sexual education were found in the fathers
with a university or higher education degree (χ2 = 15.396; p < 0.01), and those giving sex education to their children (χ2 = 18.388;p < 0.001). Higher total scores were obtained on the sexual communication scale by
fathers with university and higher education degrees (χ2 = 12.898;p < 0.01) and those who received sex education in their childhood (t = 2.330;p = 0.021). There is a highly significant positive correlation between the mean scores
of the role of a parent subscale of the ASTSE and the mean total score of the SCSP
(r = 0.81;p < 0.001).
Conclusions
There is a positive correlation between fathers' parental role attitudes toward sex
education and their sexual communication with their children.
Practice implications
Supporting fathers' sexual communication with their children can positively affect
fathers' attitudes and communication toward sex education.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 29, 2022
Accepted:
December 13,
2022
Received in revised form:
December 12,
2022
Received:
September 19,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
