Title: Investigating factors associated with mother-daughter communication intentions about STD risks and condom use behaviour of female college students

Authors: Leslie Ramos Salazar; Priyanka Khandelwal; Yvette Castillo

Addresses: Business Communication & Decision Management, Engler College of Business, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas 79016, USA ' Business Communication & Marketing, Engler College of Business, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas 79016, USA ' Education and Psychology, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas 79016, USA

Abstract: Mothers play a significant role in influencing and educating their daughters about safe sexual practices. Given that college students are a high-risk population for contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) this study investigated the concepts of the Risk Perception Attitude (RPA) framework and their associations to help understand mothers' communication intentions and efficacy to communicating with their young adult daughters about STD risks and condom use. More specifically, this study investigated the relationships between mothers' perceived risk (severity and susceptibility) of their daughters contracting an STD, and how their self-efficacy was associated with mothers' intentions of communicating with their daughters about condom use to prevent STDs. This study found evidence that mothers' self-efficacy (over perceived daughter risks) had the highest association with mothers' communicative intentions and efficacy to communicate to daughters to prevent STDs. The study also discusses ideas for future mother-daughter sexual risk communication research to prevent STDs in college women.

Keywords: mother-daughter communication; risk perception attitude; sexually transmitted diseases; college women and health.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBHR.2021.114804

International Journal of Behavioural and Healthcare Research, 2021 Vol.7 No.3, pp.209 - 226

Received: 22 Sep 2020
Accepted: 07 Feb 2021
Published online: 06 May 2021 *