PARENT - ADOLESCENT COMUNICATION ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH MATTERS AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG NON-BOARDING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SHAYGOSH TOWN, ETHIOPIAN SOMALI REGIONAL STATE, EASTERN ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Introduction: Adolescents are defined by the World Health Organization as at age group 10-19 years. The onset of adolescence which is more or less coinciding with puberty is often influenced by manifestation of puberty. Parental adolescent communication is a fundamental process through which parents convey ideas, values, beliefs, expectations, information, and knowledge to their child which protects them from risky behavior. But in Shaygosh woreda the role of parent-young people communication about youth reproductive health and its current status is not well addressed while it is important to have a comprehensive community– based and institutional based data on parent communication to help putting the strategy in to practice. Objective: To assess parent – adolescence communication on sexual and reproductive health matters and associated factors among non-boarding high school students in Shaygosh town, Qorahey zone Ethiopian Somali Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia from 19/03/2018 up to 23/03/2018. Methods: This study was cross sectional with quantitative techniques. Data was collected from 356 students, which were selected through simple random method from the listed students name from shaygosh non boarding school. The obtained data was entered using Epidata and finally analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was done to identify the independent predictors of parent adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health matters. Result: - In this study, 117(32.9%) respondents discuss sexual reproductive health matters with their parents. Sex of the adolescents (AOR=2.5, 95% CI= (1.25-5.01)), educational status of mothers who read and write (AOR= 2.6, 95% CI (1.04-6.4)), adolescents who perceive discussion Crutiallity (AOR= 20.5, 95% CI (3.3- 124.8)), educational status of father who complete secondary school (AOR= 5.1, 95% CI= (1.26-20.6) were associated with parent adolescent communication on SRH matters in the study area. Parent lack of interest to discuss, feeling shame and cultural taboos were the reasons for low parent adolescent communication. Conclusion and recommendation: the study finding shows that there were low communication about sexual and reproductive health issue between parent and adolescents. Promoting parent adolescent communication on sexuality and improve peer to peer sexuality education program, promoting school sexual and reproductive health club in school and woreda health office to enhance parent adolescent communication and providing parent adolescent communication