Timing the Talks: Exploring Children’s Ages at Parent-Child Conversations About Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Various Sexual Behaviors

Using the theory of planned behavior, we examined parental characteristics associated with child ages at past and intended future parent-child sexual communication (PCSC) about topics with the potential to challenge cisheteronormative assumptions: (a) gender and sexual identities and (b) various sexual behaviors.

Data were collected in December 2019–January 2020 from 561 US parents of an oldest child 6–11 years old; parents were majority White (85%), cisgender (98%), heterosexual (86%) mothers (59%).

On average, parents who had discussed these topics did so at 6–7 years old and those who had not planned to do so between 9 and 14 years old. Regression analyses showed that, among parents who had already discussed these topics, having more permissive sexual attitudes, being a woman or genderqueer parent, having a younger child, and having a girl or genderqueer child were associated with younger ages at past PCSC about at least one topic. For parents who were planning on discussing these topics in the future, perceiving more positive outcomes of PCSC, perceiving less responsibility for PCSC, identifying as LGBQA or a father, having a younger child, and having a girl or genderqueer child were associated with younger ages at intended future PCSC for at least one topic.

US parents (especially conservative heterosexual parents of boys with certain PCSC attitudes) need education about the importance of PCSC about these topics in order to meet experts’ recommendations for age-appropriate PCSC.

Parent education can provide parents with tools to discuss these topics in age-appropriate ways.