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Navegando Conversaciones: Exploring Cultural Barriers in Mexican Parent-Adolescent Sexual Health Conversations

Tello-Mendoza, Evelyn
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Abstract

This qualitative study explores how Mexican parents navigate sexual health communication with their Mexican-American children living in the United States. Drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with six self-identified Mexican parents, this study examines the ways in which parents engage in conversations about sexual health, cultural values that shape these discussions, and the resources available to support them. This study seeks to address the following three research questions: (1) To what extent and in what ways do Mexican parents participate in parent-child communication about sexual and reproductive health? (2) What cultural values, beliefs, and social expectations shape Mexican parents’ attitudes toward sexual health communication with their children? (3) What kinds of sexual health information do Mexican parents feel they lack? How does this affect their self-efficacy in initiating conversations with their children? The findings for this study included varying conversations and Mexican parents exhibiting the influence of cultural values, such as familismo, machismo, and marianismo, in sexual health discussions. Participants additionally expressed gendered differences in these discussions, with mothers more frequently engaging in conversations. Mothers reported higher levels of comfort with daughters, and emphasized themes such as abstinence, purity, and caution in relationships when having conversations regarding sexual health. In contrast, fathers were less involved, and communication with children was often limited. Conversations between fathers and sons that advised sexual promiscuity in boys were viewed by mothers as the endorsement of machismo values. Overall, parents expressed intergenerational patterns of silence and cultural stigma surrounding these discussions, which hindered open dialogue with their own children, reinforcing discomfort across generations. Participants also reported limited access to reliable and culturally appropriate sexual health resources, expressing a need for Spanish-language materials, community-based education, and guidance on how to effectively communicate with their children. The findings in this study contribute to broader discussions on health communication, cultural values, and intergenerational knowledge transmission, offering implications for future research and community-based programming.

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Date
2026-05-11
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Keywords
Family communication; Mexican parents; sexual health; Mexican cultural values; parent-child relationships
Citation
Tello-Mendoza, Evelyn. “Navegando Conversaciones: Exploring Cultural Barriers in Mexican Parent-Adolescent Sexual Health Conversations.” Georgia State University, May 11, 2026. https://doi.org/10.57709/285.
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2026-05-11
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