Parenting styles, parental monitoring and adolescents‘ risky sexual behavior

Abstract

The study investigated the relationships between parenting styles, parental monitoring and adolescents risky sexual behavior of 300 secondary school adolescents of senior four to six of 2016 in Rubaga Division, Kampala district, aged 16 to19 years. A cross sectional study design using quantitative approach was adopted. Simple random sampling technique was used to give every adolescent an opportunity to participate in this study. Primary data was collected using questionnaire that comprised of scales to measure parenting styles, parental monitoring and adolescent risky sexual behavior, supplemented by secondary data. Three Hypotheses were tested using one-way ANOVA, Spearman rank order correlation coefficient and two-way ANOVA. The findings showed significant differences in adolescent risky sexual behavior according to the different parenting styles, a strong negative relationship between perceived parental monitoring and adolescent risky sexual behavior (rho=-.764) and a significant combined effect between perceived parenting styles, perceived parental monitoring and adolescent risky sexual behavior. The study recommended that parenting styles and parental monitoring should be emphasized and used by parents to control the activities of their children whether at home or at school.