Table 1.

Sources of anxiety for parents and teens when discussing sexuality

Sources of Anxiety for Parents	Sources of Anxiety for Teens
Real or perceived ignorance Not knowing the answers Not knowing the correct language to use/sounding crude Being wrong or corrected Having different answers than other parent or adult	Real or perceived ignorance Not knowing the correct language to use/sounding crude Not knowing the right questions to ask Being wrong or corrected
Saying too much Providing more information than your child is ready for Revealing too much personal information (TMI) Revealing family secrets Disclosure of abuse (of self or another)	Saying too much Revealing sexual thoughts or behaviors to the parent that might elicit criticism or punishment Disclosure of abuse (of self or another)
Fear of difficult questions About how babies are made About contraception, fertility, abortion, pregnancy, and so forth About parent’s own adolescent behaviors or adult sexuality About prior relationships, separation, divorce, or death About abuse experiences About the sexuality spectrum	Fear of difficult questions Questions about current sexual behavior Questions about abuse Questions about the sexuality spectrum
Finding out something unknown about child Is already sexually active, uses contraception, or had an abortion Has experienced abuse or vulnerability to abuse Is LGBTQIA Has been exposed to pornography Has “sexted” or sent explicit language or photos via social media	Finding out something unknown about parent About their current or past sex life A negative family secret Disclosure of abuse
Fear of teen’s reaction/perception Sounding stupid Sounding “old-fashioned” or out of touch Teen will not be open to the conversation/topic Disclosure of abuse	Fear of parent’s reaction/perception Sounding stupid Parent will not be open to the conversation/topic Asking something that shocks, offends, or angers the parent Asking something the parent refuses to answer Disclosure of abuse
Discomfort with topic Embarrassment Shame Fear	Discomfort with topic Embarrassment Shame Fear