For over a decade, Senior Research Scientist Jennifer M. Grossman, Ph.D., has focused her research on family communication about sex and relationships. What do parents and teens talk about, and how often do they talk, and does it have an effect on teens’ behavior? Now that many families are spending their days cooped up together, she’s interested in learning how things have changed, if at all.
Dr. Grossman and her research team recently created a new survey to understand whether and how parent-teen conversations about dating and relationships have changed in the age of COVID-19. The survey also asks how parents are monitoring their teens’ behavior — for example, whether parents tell teens they need permission to go out, whether they talk about rules for dating and relationships, and what challenges they’ve faced in having these conversations in the midst of a pandemic.
“We're excited to get a sense of how parents are supporting their teens during this tough time, and what supports they want for parenting during COVID-19,” said Grossman.
