THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTING STYLES, COMMUNICATION AND SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIORS AMONG HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE STUDENTS, PHITSANULOK PROVINCE

Abstract

A purpose of this descriptive research was to study the relationship between parenting styles, communication and sexual risk behaviors among high school female students in the responsibility of the secondary educational service area office 39 in Muang district, Phitsanulok province. Three hundred and sixty seven students participated in this study by simple random sampling. Research information gathered by questionnaire. In this study, independent variables were parenting styles and communication, while dependent variable was sexual risk behaviors. The analyzed data was generated by descriptive statistics, which were frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The correlation study was conducted by Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The statistical significance was 0.05.The research results showed that sexual risk behaviors were at a medium level (59.10%). The correlation was found that Democracy parenting style, Laissez - faire parenting style were at a very low and very high level positive respectively correlating with the sexual risk behaviors (r=0.138, r=0.909). Autocratic parenting style and communication were at a very high and low level negatively correlating with the sexual risk behaviors (r=-0.809, r=-0.340). These results might be useable in the design of learning activities and health services in order to protect and solve the sexual risk behaviors.