The Impact of Parental Attachment in Onset of the Adolescent Sexuality

Abstract

This study explores the impact of adolescents' perceptions on parental attachment, at the time of initiation of sexual intercourse among adolescents. In many countries this phenomenon is considered to be problematic for the difficulty of management of adolescent’ sexual behavior. Having a healthy sexuality is one of the central targets of adolescence; several adolescents tend to have sexual behavior with high risk (Chilman, 1990). Considering the risk of damage resulting from an early start of sexual relations, numerous researchers have conducted studies on this issue. In these studies, except treatises on adolescent sexual behavior and the consequences of its deviations, several efforts were made to explore the factors that are assumed to have a direct influence on sexuality in adolescence. Many studies conducted on the impact of adolescent sexuality, show the family as a very important factor associated with predicting the impact of the time when adolescents begin their sexual activity. Positive family relationships and not strict structures of the family correlate consistently positive with the late starting of adolescent sexual life (Lammers, 2000; Resnick, 1997). Recognizing the importance of all elements of parental micro system, the focus of this study is specifically in the impact of parental attachment to the age of onset of sexual relations among adolescents. Participants in the study were 140 students of first and second (8- 21 year old /late adolescence) year of their studies. After the pilot phase, it was passed to the second stage, the application of questionnaires, which resulted in obtaining the final results interesting drawing conclusions and recommendations for the future.

DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n3p125