Mothers and Fathers, Churches and Schools: Formal and Informal Sources of Sexual Information as They Relate to Emerging Adult Women’s Safe Sex Practices and Sexual-esteem

Abstract

This study sought to explore which individuals and institutions 455 emerging adult women recalled as having provided them with sexual information. Independent-samples t tests were run to explore how these sources of information related to the emerging adult women’s safe sex practices and sexual-esteem. Most common sources of sexual information included mothers, peers, and high school courses, with approximately 28% of participants reporting no individual sources, and approximately 32% of participants reporting no institutional sources. Receiving sexual information from a sibling was related to more frequent safe sex practices, and receiving sexual information from a middle school course was related to higher sexual-esteem scores. These results contribute to the discussion of how best to support the sexual health and wellness of emerging adult women, and have implications for couple and family therapists working with young women and their families.