Possible impacts of sex education attitude of parents on adolescent's sex related knowledge acquisition

Objective The present study is to explore the impact of sex education attitude of parents on adolescents' sex knowledge acquisition,and to explore mediational role of self-esteem and adolescents sex education need.Methods Sex Education Attitude Questionnaire,Sex Education Need Questionnaire,Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (Chinese version) and Sex Knowledge Questionnaire were administrated to 2 279 students from 10 senior and junior high schools in Chongqing.Results All factors are positively correlated except "parent-child sex-related discussion with adolescents' pregnancy and contraception related knowledge and sex behavior.There was the significant partially mediating effect of sex education need and self-esteem in the association of parental sex education with adolescents' sex related knowledge acquisition,in both partial model (x2/df=9.56,NFI =0.98,IFI =0.98,TLI=0.97,CFI=0.98,GFI =0.99,RMSEA =0.06 for sex education need;x2/df=7.79,NFI =0.99,IFI =0.99,TLI =0.98,CFI=0.99,GFI=0.98,RMSEA =0.06 for self-esteem) and independent model (x2/df=5.53,NFI=0.99,IFI=0.99,TLI=0.99,CFI=0.99,GFI=0.98,RMSEA =0.05).Conclusion Positive parents' sex education attitude promotes adolescents'self-esteem,which promotes sex education need and results in increased acquisition of sex related knowledge.