Parent-Adolescent Relationship Quality, Sexual Health Communication, and Willingness to Support Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV: A Qualitative Study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: PURPOSE: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV is a safe and highly effective prevention method, yet use among U.S. adolescents at risk for HIV has been low. Little is known about how sexual health communication (SHC) and the quality of parent-adolescent relationships influence parents' hypothetical willingness to support their adolescent using PrEP. METHODS: We conducted 34 in-depth interviews with parents of adolescents recruited from four U.S. urban clinical sites between 2018 and 2019. We then used applied thematic analysis informed by two theories to determine parents' hypothetical willingness (more vs. less willing) and to identify related themes, focusing on differences between more versus less willing parents. RESULTS: Parents were diverse with respect to race/ethnicity (68% Black/African American, 18% Hispanic). Most were cisgender men (44%) or women (41%). Approximately half (n = 19, 56%) were more willing. Four themes related to willingness were identified: (1) relationship quality, (2) acceptance of sexual and gender-diverse (SGD) identities, (3) sex positivity of SHC, and (4) general positivity about PrEP. Responses from more willing parents tended toward higher relationship quality, more acceptance of SGD identities, more sex positivity, and PrEP positivity; conversely, less willing parents tended toward the opposite ends of each theme. HIV risk perception did not consistently impact willingness, as both more and less willing parents largely perceived their adolescent's HIV risk as low. DISCUSSION: Parents who were more willing to support their adolescent hypothetically using PrEP tended to describe high-quality relationships, acceptance of SGD identities, sex positivity of SHC, and general positivity about PrEP.
Source: Journal of Adolescent Health
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,670
Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
OpenAlex ID: W4415751709