Study on teen sex by the UO's Atika Khurana gets media buzz

A study by a UO professor and others suggests teenagers are less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior when their parents are more watchful and involved in their children’s lives.

The research was co-authored by Atika Khurana, an assistant professor of counseling psychology and human services in the UO's College of Education.

The study has drawn a lot of attention, generating stories in more than a dozen media outlets. Among those reporting on the study were HealthDay News, WebMD and CBC News.

“The investigators found that kids whose parents set rules and monitored them — kept an eye on what they were doing and who they were with — had sexual intercourse later in life,” said the story in HealthDay, a Time Inc. website. “Those whose parents monitored them were also more likely to use condoms and other forms of birth control, but making rules didn’t seem to have an effect on that front.”