The comprehensive level of discussion on sexual and reproductive health issues between adolescents and parents in Addis Ababa was found to be only 5.7%, with shame, embarrassment, lack of knowledge, and cultural unacceptability identified as major barriers.
Key Findings
Results
The comprehensive level of discussion on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues between parents and adolescents was extremely low at 5.7%.
Study used a cross-sectional design among in-school adolescents paired with their parents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Data collected using a structured questionnaire
Descriptive, binary, and multiple logistic regressions were carried out to analyze the data
Only 5.7% of parent-adolescent pairs demonstrated comprehensive-level discussion on SRH issues
Results
Adolescents identified feeling ashamed, embarrassed, lack of knowledge, and cultural unacceptability as major barriers to SRH communication with their parents.
Four primary barriers were reported by adolescents: shame, embarrassment, lack of knowledge, and cultural unacceptability
These barriers were self-disclosed by adolescent participants through structured questionnaire responses
Cultural unacceptability suggests that discussing SRH topics is perceived as socially or culturally inappropriate in this context
Results
Grade level, religion, and knowledge were significantly associated with adolescent-parent communication about sexual and reproductive health issues.
Three factors — grade level, religion, and knowledge — reached statistical significance in the multiple logistic regression analysis
These associations were identified after conducting binary and multiple logistic regression analyses
The study was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, among in-school adolescents paired with their parents
Specific odds ratios and confidence intervals were not reported in the abstract
Conclusions
The study concluded that designing effective parent-adolescent communication interventions is critical for improving communication about common SRH issues.
The recommendation targets intervention design specifically aimed at improving parent-adolescent SRH communication
The study framed poor communication as contributing to risky sexual behaviors and associated morbidity and mortality
The cross-sectional design was used among in-school adolescents paired with their parents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
What This Means
This research examined how often parents and adolescents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia talk openly about sexual and reproductive health topics, and what gets in the way of those conversations. The study paired in-school teenagers with their parents and used structured questionnaires to measure how comprehensive their discussions were. The findings reveal that only about 1 in 20 parent-adolescent pairs (5.7%) actually engaged in comprehensive discussion about sexual and reproductive health issues — a strikingly low figure that suggests the vast majority of young people are not getting this information from their parents.
Adolescents reported that the biggest obstacles to having these conversations were feelings of shame and embarrassment, not knowing enough about the topics themselves, and believing that such discussions are culturally unacceptable. The study also found that certain factors — including what grade the adolescent was in, their religion, and their existing level of knowledge — were statistically linked to whether these conversations happened at all. This suggests that both cultural norms and educational context shape whether families feel able to discuss sensitive health topics.
This research suggests that in urban Ethiopian communities, social and cultural taboos around sexuality create a significant gap in health communication between parents and their teenage children. Since parent-adolescent conversations about sexual health are widely recognized as protective against risky sexual behaviors, this communication gap could contribute to poor reproductive health outcomes among young people. The authors emphasize the need for targeted programs that help parents and adolescents overcome these barriers and communicate more openly about sexual and reproductive health.
Mesfin A, Malapela R. (2025). Challenges of parent-adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health and rights issues in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A quantitative study.. African journal of reproductive health. https://doi.org/10.29063/ajrh2025/v29i8.9