Knowledge and attitude and practice of parents in response to their children’s sexual behavior

Context: Parents’ competence has the most important role in the education of healthy sexual behavior to children under age 12 years. Aims: This study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and competence of parents in response to their children’s sexual behavior. Setting and Design: This population-based survey was conducted in Mazandaran Province, the province in the northern region of Iran, from October to January 2015. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 600 parents were selected by a cluster random sampling technique. To assess parents’ sexual knowledge and competence, the “Children’s Sexual Behavior Questionnaire (CSBQ)” was used to collect data. Mothers and fathers completed the questionnaire separately. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions were used for data analysis. Results: Of the total 600 participants (mothers or fathers), 41.3% were fathers. The mean age of fathers and mothers was 34.12 ± 6.32 and 32.24 ± 85.5, respectively. The majority of the parents (66.7%) had an average level of knowledge in response to their children’s sexual behavior, whereas only 5% of the parents had appropriate competence in response to sexual behavior of their children. There was a positive association between parents’ competence in response to children’s sexual behavior and their education (P < 0.001, β = 0.13), and a significant inverse association was observed between parents’ competence and their economic status(P = 0.02, β = −0.18). Conclusion: In groups with low education, skill-building training courses are essential. Furthermore, appropriate interventions should be designed for groups with high economic status who do not have a high competence.