Chinese Parents’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices about Sexuality Education for Adolescents in the Family

This study used a cross-sectional, multi-site survey design to examine Chinese parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the area of sexuality education for adolescents. Three cities in China were selected for the survey, and the final sample contained 841 parents with children ranged from 11 to 19 years. The majority of Chinese parents were found to have reasonably accurate knowledge about sexuality and positive attitudes toward sexuality and sexuality education. However, most Chinese parents reported that they never talked with their children about sexuality. Parental education was strongly related to both knowledge and attitudes. Gender of parent was a significant predictor of parental practices, with mothers talking more with children about sexuality than did fathers. Both parental knowledge and parental attitudes were found to be significant predictors of education practices. Parents who were more knowledgeable and who had more positive attitudes talked more with their children about sexuality. Implications for practice are discussed.