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cating to a partner a desire to use condoms was associated with increased condom use, and the ability to communicate with prospective partners about their sexual history was associated with having fewer partners.9 Thus, encouraging adolescents to communicate with prospective partners about sex is potentially an effective strategy for preventing STDs, including HIV, and teenage pregnancy. Although talking about sex is an important behavior, it is not a simple one. Despite the pervasiveness of sex in the American media, open discussions about the topic are made difficult by sociocultural taboos and by the “secrecy” surrounding it.10 Norms that prohibit openness can hinder discussions about sexual behavior and can be obstacles to sexuality education and the dissemination of information about sex.11 The difficulty and discomfort many Americans experience when discussing sexual behavior is illustrated by results from a nationwide survey indicating that 20–25% of married and unmarried adults have no knowledge of their partner’s sexual history.12 The intimate discussions necessary to obtain information about a partner’s sexual history and to negotiate safer sex may be particularly difficult for teenagers, who Daniel J. Whitaker is research psychologist, and Kim S. Miller is research sociologist, both at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; David C. May is assistant professor and criminal justice program coordinator, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University–Purdue University, Fort Wayne, IN; and Martin L. Levin is Thomas L. Bailey Professor of Sociology and head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS. Teenage Partners’ Communication About Sexual Risk and Condom Use: The Importance Of Parent-Teenager Discussions