A communication framework was developed to examine the influence of maternal use of self-disclosure on adolescent intentions to smoke cigarettes and to engage in sexual intercourse. Data were collected from 516 Dominican and Puerto Rican mother-adolescent dyads. Statistical analyses were conducted in AMOS using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that maternal self-disclosure was associated with increased adolescent attributions of maternal trustworthiness and expertise, which in turn were associated with decreases in youths’ intentions to engage in the two risk behaviors.Adolescents’ perceptions were more salient for intentions to engage in risk behavior. Gender and ethnic differences emerged with mothers disclosing more to daughters than to sons and Puerto Rican mothers disclosing more than Dominican mothers. Implications for parent-adolescent communication are discussed.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. ( 1981). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior . Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall .
2.
Bearman, P.S., Jones, J., & Udry, J.R. ( 1997). The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health: Research design. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina.
3.
Cappello, D. ( 2001). When sex ed meets parent ed: Supporting parents as sexuality educators. SEICUS Report, 29, 4-6.
4.
Costigan, C., & Cox, M. ( 2001). Fathers’ participation in family research: Is there a self-selection bias? Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 706-720.
5.
DiIorio, C., Kelley, M., & Hockenberry-Eaton, M. (1999). Communication about sexual issues: Mothers, fathers, and friends. Journal of Adolescent Health, 24, 181-189.
6.
Dittus, P.J., & Jaccard, J. ( 2000). Adolescents’ perceptions of maternal disapproval of sex: Relationship to sexual outcomes. Journal of Adolescent Health, 26, 268-278.
7.
Eagly, A.H., & Chaiken, S. ( 1993). The psychology of attitudes. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
8.
Epstein, J.A., Botvin, G.J., & Diaz, T. ( 1998). Ethnic and gender differences in smoking prevalence among a longitudinal sample of inner-city adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 23, 160-166.
9.
Guilamo-Ramos, V., Bouris, A., Dittus, P., & Jaccard, J. ( 2008). Mother-adolescent communication about tobacco use in urban Puerto Rican and Dominican families. Youth & Society , 40, 86-113.
10.
Guilamo-Ramos, V., Dittus, P., Jaccard, J., Goldberg, V., Casillas, E., & Bouris, A. ( 2006). The content and context of mother-adolescent communication about sex in Latino families. Social Work Research, 30, 169-181.
11.
Guilamo-Ramos, V., Dittus, P., Jaccard, J., Johansson, M., Bouris, A., & Acosta, N. ( 2007). Parenting practices among Dominican and Puerto Rican mothers. Social Work, 52, 17-30.
12.
Guilamo-Ramos, V., Jaccard, J., Dittus, P., & Bouris, A. ( 2006). Parental expertise, trustworthiness, and accessibility as influences of parent-adolescent communication and adolescent risk behavior . Journal of Marriage and Family, 68, 1229-1246.
13.
Guilamo-Ramos, V., Jaccard, J., Dittus, P., Bouris, A., Holloway, I., & Casillas, E. ( 2007). Adolescent expectancies, parent-adolescent communication, and intentions to have sexual intercourse among inner city, middle school youth. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 34, 56-66.
14.
Hernández, R., & Rivera-Batíz, F.L. (2003). Dominicans in the United States: A socioeconomic profile, 2000 (Dominican Research Monographs). New York: The City University of New York, Dominican Studies Institute.
15.
Jaccard, J., Dittus, P.J., & Gordon, V.V. ( 1996). Maternal correlates of adolescent sexual behavior. Family Planning Perspectives, 28, 159-165.
16.
Jaccard, J., Dittus, P.J., & Gordon, V.V. ( 1998). Parent-adolescent congruency in reports of adolescent sexual behavior and in communications about sexual behavior. Child Development, 69, 247-261.
17.
King, G., Honaker, J., Joseph, A., & Scheve, K. ( 2001). Analyzing incomplete political science data. American Political Science Review, 95, 49-69.
18.
Kotchick, B.A., Dorsey, S., Miller, K.S., & Forehand, R. ( 1999). Adolescent sexual risk-taking behavior in single-parent ethnic minority families. Journal of Family Psychology, 13, 93-102.
19.
Litrownik, A.J., Elder, J.P., Campbell, N.R., Ayala, G.X., Slymen, D.J., Parra-Medina, D., et al. (2000). Evaluation of a tobacco and alcohol use prevention program for Hispanic migrant adolescents: Promoting the protective factor of parent-child communication. Preventive Medicine , 31, 124-133.
20.
Marín, G., & Van Oss Marín, B. (1991). Research with Hispanic populations. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
21.
Marsh, H., Wen, Z., & Hau, K. ( 2004). Structural equation models of latent interactions: Evaluation of alternative estimation strategies and indicator construction. Psychological Methods, 9, 275-300.
22.
Miller, K.S., Kotchick, B.A., Dorsey, S., Forehand, R., & Ham, A.Y. ( 1998). Family communication about sex: What are parents saying and are their adolescents listening? Family Planning Perspectives , 30, 218-222.
23.
Muthén, L.K., & Muthén, B.O. (2004). MPlus user’s guide (3rd ed.). Los Angeles : Muthén & Muthén.
24.
O’Sullivan, L.F., Dolezal, C., Brackis-Cott, E., Traeger, L., & Mellins, C.A. ( 2005). Communication about HIV and risk behaviors among mothers living with HIV and their early adolescent children. Journal of Early Adolescence, 25, 148-167.
25.
Richardson, R.A. ( 2004). Early adolescence talking points: Questions that middle school students want to ask their parents. Family Relations , 53, 87-94.
26.
Romo, L.F., Lefkowitz, E.S., Sigman, M., & Au, T.K. ( 2002). A longitudinal study of maternal messages about dating and sexuality and their influence on Latino adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, 59-69.
27.
Rubin, R.B., & Martin, M. ( 1994). Development of a measure of interpersonal competence . Communication Research Reports, 11, 33-44.
28.
Spitzberg, B.H., & Cupach, W.R. ( 1984). Interpersonal communication competence. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
29.
Steinberg, L., & Sheffield Morris, A. (2001). Adolescent development . Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 83-110.
30.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2000a). Hispanic or Latino by type: 2000. Census 2000 Summary File1 (SF1). Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_QTP9&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U
31.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2000b). Income and poverty in 1999. Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF3)-sample data. Geographic area: New York-Place and county subdivision. Retrieved August 1, 2008, from http://factfinder.census.gov
32.
Velez, C.N. ( 2000). Sexual behavior among Puerto Rican adolescents. Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal, 19, 69-76.
33.
Webb, T.L., & Sheeran, P. ( 2006). Does changing behavioral intentions engender behavior change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 249-268.
