Parent-child sexuality communication has been identified as a protective factor for adolescent sexual and\r\nreproductive health, including HIV infection. The available literature on this topic in sub-Saharan Africa is increasing;\r\nhowever a systematic review of studies has not been conducted. This article reviews the literature in the area of\r\nparental or caregiver and child communication about sexuality and HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. A review of\r\npeer reviewed literature published between 1980 and April 2011 was conducted. Communication process studies\r\ninvestigating the frequency, content, style, tone of discussions, preferences, as well as associations with and barriers\r\nto sexuality communication are reviewed. In addition, studies which examine behavioral associations with parentchild\r\nsexuality communication, and intervention studies to improve parent-child sexuality communication are\r\nexamined. The findings from process studies suggest wide variation in terms of frequency of discussions, with a\r\nrange of socio-demographic and other factors associated with sexuality communication. Overall, findings\r\ndemonstrate that discussions tend to be authoritarian and uni-directional, characterized by vague warnings rather\r\nthan direct, open discussion. Moreover, parents and young people report a number of barriers to open dialogue,\r\nincluding lack of knowledge and skills, as well as cultural norms and taboos. Findings are less clear when it comes\r\nto associations between parental communication and adolescent sexual activity and contraception use. However,\r\nnascent indications from intervention research suggest positive findings with increases in frequency and comfort of\r\ndiscussions, among other outcomes. Gaps in the research are identified and discussed with implications for future\r\nstudies.
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