Canadian parents face multifaceted challenges in navigating sexuality education, shaped by cultural taboos, lack of resources, and limited confidence in initiating these discussions, underscoring the need for inclusive, parent-focused resources, training, and policies.
Key Findings
Results
Parents conceptualized sexuality education as holistic, encompassing emotional, psychological, and social aspects beyond biology.
This emerged as one of three major themes from inductive thematic analysis of six virtual focus group discussions
Parents emphasized the importance of emotional, psychological, and social aspects alongside biological content
This theme reflects parents' broad understanding of what comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) should include
30 parents of children aged 0-18 years participated across six virtual FGDs
Results
Parents reported uncertainty about when and how to initiate sexuality education conversations and expressed a preference for child-led, ongoing dialogue.
Timing and approaches was identified as the second major theme
Parents revealed uncertainty around when and how to initiate these conversations
A preference for child-led, ongoing dialogue was identified rather than single discrete conversations
This pattern emerged across the 30 participants recruited through purposeful and snowball sampling
Results
External influences from society, media, and schools shaped children's understanding of sexuality and raised parental concerns about misinformation and inconsistent educational content.
This was the third major theme identified through inductive thematic analysis
Parents highlighted concerns over misinformation from media and societal sources
Inconsistent educational content in schools was identified as a specific concern
Parents reported these external factors as competing with or complicating their own efforts to deliver sexuality education
Results
Canadian parents reported difficulties accessing age-appropriate, culturally relevant, and accessible educational resources for sexuality education.
Resource gaps were reported across the 30 participating parents
Barriers included cultural taboos, lack of resources, and limited confidence in initiating discussions
The study used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to capture these experiences
Participants were recruited to ensure diverse representation in a multicultural Canadian context
Results
Cultural values and personal beliefs in Canada's diverse society intensified parental barriers to delivering comprehensive sexuality education.
Cultural taboos were identified as a key barrier alongside lack of resources and limited confidence
The study specifically addressed the multicultural context of Canada, where cultural values and personal beliefs vary widely
Six virtual FGDs were conducted with 30 parents recruited through purposeful and snowball sampling to ensure diverse representation
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodology was employed to examine experiences, beliefs, and barriers
Background
The study identified a gap in research on Canadian parents' perspectives on sexuality education, particularly in multicultural contexts.
Authors noted that 'limited research has explored Canadian parents' perspectives on sexuality education, particularly in multicultural contexts'
School-based programs have expanded in many settings but parental engagement remains understudied
The CBPR approach was selected to address this gap by examining parents' experiences directly
30 parents of children aged 0-18 years participated, recruited through purposeful and snowball sampling
What This Means
This research examined the experiences of 30 Canadian parents in teaching their children about sexuality and sexual health. Using virtual focus group discussions, researchers found that parents broadly understood sexuality education to go beyond basic biology, recognizing the importance of emotional and social development. However, many parents struggled with knowing when to start these conversations and how to approach them, generally preferring to follow their child's lead rather than having one formal 'talk.' Parents also worried about competing messages their children received from social media, peers, and schools, particularly around misinformation and inconsistent content.
A significant practical challenge reported by parents was the difficulty finding resources that were both age-appropriate and culturally relevant. In Canada's diverse multicultural society, cultural taboos, differing personal beliefs, and a lack of confidence in discussing sexual topics all made it harder for parents to engage openly with their children. These barriers were especially pronounced for parents from communities where sexuality is considered a private or sensitive topic.
This research suggests that families, schools, and healthcare systems need to work more closely together to support parents in this role. There is a need for inclusive educational materials and training programs specifically designed for parents that account for cultural diversity and varying comfort levels. Strengthening these partnerships could help ensure children receive accurate, consistent, and age-appropriate information about sexual health regardless of their background.
Punjani N, Scott S, Hussain A, Lu T, Bandali F, McDonald S, et al.. (2025). Bridging the Gap: Canadian Parents' barriers and concerns in delivering sexuality education - A qualitative study.. Sexual & reproductive healthcare : official journal of the Swedish Association of Midwives. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2025.101146