Canadian parents face multiple barriers to providing their children with reliable and culturally appropriate sex education, according to newly published research from the University of Alberta.
"My motivation is to deeply understand parents' experiences and what holds them back, and build a system to empower families rather than just leave them to navigate all these conversations by themselves," says principal investigator Neelam Punjani, who undertook the research as part of her postdoctoral fellowship and is now an assistant professor in the U of A's Faculty of Nursing.
Punjani and her team interviewed 30 parents of children from newborn to 18 years old who reported a lack of confidence, training and resources when it comes to talking to their kids about sex.
"All of the parents see sexual education as a critical part of keeping their children safe and healthy," says Punjani. "The issue wasn't reluctance, but a lack of support, especially among racialized, immigrant and newcomer families who want to balance cultural values with accurate information. They said, 'I wish someone had taught me this when I was growing up.'"
Research shows that kids whose parents talk to them about sex are less likely to engage in risky behaviour, are better protected against abuse and are more likely to practise safe sex later in life, she says.
