Parent-adolescent Communication and IV/AIDS in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

A cross sectional descriptive study of four hundred and fifty-nine early adolescent secondary school students aged between ten and fourteen years in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria was conducted to assess parent-adolescent communication on HIV/AIDS. The study revealed that only 27.2% of the respondents communicate with their parents on sexual issues, even though they confided in their mothers more with obvious communication barrier due largely to inadequate knowledge on the part of the parents. It is therefore recommended that parent-child communication about HIV/AIDS should start early. Advocacy and education of political, religious, community leaders and parents through civil society and community based programmes are important in redefining social norms. Family Life Education (FLE) should appropriately be made mandatory in secondary schools with legislation to enforce it.