The effects of divorced single mothers' dating and sexual attitudes on the sexual attitudes and behaviors of their adolescent children

Using reports from a sample of 79 adolescent boys and 95 adolescent girls and their divorced mothers, we used structural equation modeling to investigate the effects of mothers' dating behaviors on adolescents' sexuality. The single mothers in this study had divorced in the past 2 years and had an adolescent child in the seventh or eighth grade. Our results indicated that mothers' dating behaviors directly influenced the sexual behaviors of adolescent boys, and indirectly influenced adolescent girls' sexuality by affecting their sexual attitudes. Mothers' attitudes of sexual permissiveness influenced daughters' sexual attitudes and behaviors, but not sons'.