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There was a significant effect of conservatism on hesitancy, F(2, 78) = 35.94, p < .001 and
religiosity, F(2, 78) = 18.41, p < .001
Planned contrast analyses indicated no significant differences between Liberal and Moderate
groups and significant differences between Conservative and both groups; thus, they were
combined into a Non-conservative group
Online Parental Sexual Education Attitudes Questionnaire (two sections):
Section 1: Background Beliefs
• Presence/absence of sexually conservative attitudes, e.g., “Do you believe that sexual activity
should only occur inside of a traditional, monogamous marriage?”
• Hesitancy regarding a child’s exposure to age-appropriate sexuality education in school
• Religiosity—dual measure:
1) Personal identification with/commitment to a particular religion
2) Consideration of religious faith when making daily decisions
Section 2: Specific Concerns
Four identical sets of questions, repeated for each hypothetical age group: Early Elementary
(Ages 5-7), Later Elementary (8-10), Middle School (11-13), and High School (14-18)
• Parents indicated levels of concern (1 = “Not at all”) for six concerns/age group regarding
potential consequences of a child’s exposure to age-appropriate sexual education curricula:
• Four Fears of Increasing Sexual Activity (FISA; Ho 2) concerns
• Two Fears of Increased Vulnerability to Sexual Abuse (FIV) concerns
• Each age group had text box for “concerns not listed”
M SD Range
Age of Parent 41.2 13.67 20 - 72
# of Children 2.46 1.79 1 - 12
Age of Child 14.33 11.72 0 - 52
Hesitancy 2.98 2.15 1 - 7
Religiosity 4.13 1.94 1 - 7
• Sexual health education in US is not federally mandated, and only 22 states mandate its
inclusion in school curricula.
• Adolescents in nations providing comprehensive sexuality education have better sexual health
than in the US, where abstinence-centered sexual education is leading standard in schools
(Weaver, Smith, & Kippax, 2005).
• The ‘panic of the “religious right”’ has been cited as a major political hindrance to offering
sexual education in school (Northcraft, 2004).
• Concerns about increased sexual activity as a result of sexual education curricula are expressed
among certain religious populations (Fletcher, n.d.). This concern may be echoed outside of the
religious realm and contribute to parental hesitancy in the general population.
• Despite a parental majority supportive of increased sexual education in schools, considerable
disagreement exists regarding an appropriate age for exposure to sexual information at home
and in school (Geasler, Dannison, & Edlund, 1995; Herrman, Solano, Stotz, & McDuffie, 2013).
• The relationship between levels of parental hesitancy, religiosity, moral beliefs, and/or
parental concerns regarding the effects of sexual education curricula remain under-researched.
Introduction
Ho 1: Hesitancy Towards Sexuality Education (HTSE) with Religiosity r(80) = .49, p < .001
Ho 2: HTSE found to be correlated with Fears of Increasing Sexual Activity (FISA) — bottom left
Also, found significant correlations between key variables — bottom right
Results
Parents over the age of 18 with a biological child of any age
Majority: Caucasian (92%), heterosexual (98%), married/in long-term relationship (68%)
Occupations included university faculty/staff (n = 13), students, (n = 13), and unknown (n = 56)
Method
Conservatism Variable Emerged
Regressions by Group
References
Fletcher Jr, J. L. (n.d.). Sex Education and The Biblical Christian. Journal of Biblical Ethics in Medicine, 4(2), 1.
Geasler, M. J., Dannison, L. L., & Edlund, C. J. (1995). Sexuality education of young children: Parental concerns. Family Relations,
44(2), 184. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/213938810?accountid=13158
Herrman, J. W., Solano, P., Stotz, L., & McDuffie, M. (2013). Comprehensive Sexuality Education: A historical and comparative
analysis of public opinion. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 8(3), 140-159. doi:10.1080/15546128.2013.828342
Northcraft, D. (2004). A nation scared: Children, sex, and the denial of humanity. American University Journal of Gender, Social
Policy & the Law, 12(3), 483-518.
Weaver, H., Smith, G., & Kippax, S. (2005). School‐based sex education policies and indicators of sexual health among young people:
A comparison of the Netherlands, France, Australia and the United States. Sex Education, 5(2), 171-188.
doi:10.1080/14681810500038889
The Pennsylvania State University—Berks Campus
Megan Ebling, BA, In Progress, May 2015
Factors in parental hesitancy towards sexuality education:
Religiosity and fear of increasing sexual activity
Hypotheses
Ho 1:
There is a positive relationship between parental religiosity and hesitancy to expose a
child/adolescent to sexuality education curricula
Ho 2:
There is a positive relationship between parental fear of increasing sexual activity (FISA) and
hesitancy to expose a child/adolescent to sexuality education curricula
Objectives
1) To examine the relationship between parental hesitancy towards sexuality education
curricula and attitudinal beliefs, such as religiosity and moral values
2) To identify salient concerns regarding potential consequences of sexual education in schools
3) To explore how age of the hypothetical child affects parental hesitancy and concerns
Participants
Measure
Eighty-two parent participants (18 males; 64 females) recruited via two convenience sampling
groups that utilized snowball sampling:
1) Staff, faculty, and students recruited in-person and via email from Penn State University
2) Online social media event allowing participants to share link/invite others to participate
Hesitancy and Fear of Increasing Sexual Activity
Variable 2 3 4 5 6
1. Hesitancy (HTSE) .50***
.62***
.79***
.80***
.68***
2. FISA 5-7 .80***
.80***
.74***
.94***
3. FISA 8-10 .91***
.76***
.94***
4. FISA 11-13 .83***
.94***
5. FISA 14-18 .90***
6. FISA All
*
p < .05. **
p < .01. ***
p < .001.
Liberal
32.93%
Cons.
25.61%
Moderate4
0.24%
Sexual Conservatism
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Frequency
Cons.
Non-
Cons.
Presence/Absence of Conservatism
Key Variables’ Intercorrelations
Variable 2 3 4
1. HTSE .49** .67** .31*
2. Religiosity .43** .19
3. FISA All .64**
4. FIV All
* p < .05. **
p < .01. ***
p < .001.
• Sequential multiple regression was run with Religiosity, FISA, and FIV
• With all 3 IV’s in the equation, the model significantly predicted parental HTSE,
R2 = .62, F(3,78) = 42.07, p < .001
Regressions
Non-conservatives:
• The 3-Predictor model significantly
predicted parental HTSE,
R2 = .43, F(3,56) = 14.27, p < .001
Conservatives:
• The 3-Predictor model significantly
predicted parental HTSE,
R2 = .55, F(3,17) = 6.92, p = .003
1. sr2 = .24, Finc(1,78) = 24.63, p < .001
2. sr2 = .36, Finc (1,78) = 71.76, p < .001
3. sr2 = .02, Finc (1,78) = 3.82, p = .05
1. sr2 = .02, Finc(1,17) = .39, p = .54
2. sr2 = .53, Finc (1,17) = 21.11, p < .001
3. sr2 = .001, Finc (1,17) = .03, p = .86
1. sr2 = .03, Finc(1,56) = 1.63, p = .21
2. sr2 = .36, Finc (1,56) = 33.26, p < .001
3. sr2 = .05, Finc (1,56) = 4.70, p = .03
Note. One participant declined to answer.
*
There was a significant multivariate effect of age on the combined DV’s of FISA and FIV,
F(6, 88) = 2.57, p = .02
*
Conservatism, cont.
• Religiosity correlated significantly with Hesitancy and explained 24% of the variance in
parental Hesitancy Towards Sexual Education in schools (HTSE) in the initial regression
model, but…
• Religiosity was shown not to be a predictor when Sexual Conservatism is taken into account
• Fear of Increasing Sexual Activity (FISA) was shown to be the primary predictor of Hesitancy,
regardless of presence or absence of Sexual Conservatism
• Age of hypothetical child was relevant to parental concern levels
• Levels of concern for both FISA and FIV peaked at the 11-13 year old age group
• Understanding the role of these factors in parental hesitation will enable curriculum
designers and policy makers to anticipate resistance and plan accordingly
Discussion
Hypothetical Age Group of Child
*