22366393

PMC3694320

9P30 AI050410/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States
K01 PS000795/PS/NCHHSTP CDC HHS/United States
L60 MD000605/MD/NIMHD NIH HHS/United States
P30 AI050410/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States
T32 HD007376/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States

CDC Public Access

In spite of the established link between parenting and adolescent sexual risk behavior, less is known about the role of adolescent gender as a potential moderator of this association. This literature review integrates findings from 24 studies to examine gender as a moderator of the link between parenting and youth sexual risk behavior. Despite the wide variability in methodology across the reviewed studies, findings suggest that monitoring may be more protective against sexual risk behavior for boys than girls, whereas parental warmth and emotional connection may be an especially salient factor for girls. The results of this review support further research on gender as an important factor in better understanding the role of parenting in the development of adolescent sexual behavior. Furthermore, the findings highlight the potential role of gender-specific, tailored family-focused prevention programs targeting sexual behavior.