You Have to Give Her That Confidence - Conversations about Sex in Hispanic Mother-Daughter Dyads

This article described a qualitative investigation of the sexual behavior of Hispanic adolescent females. In-depth interviews were conducted by phone with Hispanic mother-daughter dyads and focused on conversations about sexuality and sexual health. The study sample was comprised of 10 mother-daughter dyads and four additional individuals. Once a coding scheme was created from themes extracted from the interviews, an immersion crystallization approach was used to analyze the data.

Key Findings:

  • Mothers and daughters cited the danger of the environment outside the home as a threat to daughters' safety and plans for the future.
  • Almost all mothers and daughters endorsed open discussion about sex as valuable and necessary. Discussions about sex were not always easy or comfortable.
  • Conflict played a significant role in the mother-daughter relationship. Differences between low- and high-conflict dyads were seen in the substance of dialogue about sex and the context in which such dialogue takes place.
  • Dialogue for low-conflict dyads was characterized by trust and confidence. Additionally, low-conflict dyads worked to facilitate an environment that encouraged conversation and allowed for a smooth exchange of information.