Close parent–adolescent relationships and specific
parenting practices (e.g., communicationabout sex,monitoring)
are associated with reduced sexual risk behavior among hetero-
sexual youth. Despitegay/bisexual maleyouth being at increased
risk of HIV, little is known about parental influences on their
sexual behavior. As such, the goal of the current study was to
examine parent–adolescent relationships and parenting prac-
tices related to teen sex and dating from the perspective of gay/
bisexual adolescent boys. Online focus groups were conducted
with 52 gay/bisexual male youth ages 14–17 years. Most gay/
bisexual adolescent boys felt that their sexual orientation had
an influence on their relationships with their parents and discus-
sions about sex/dating. Although some felt that their relation-
ships improved after coming out, a larger percentage reported
that it put strain on their relationships. Discussions about sex/
dating generally decreased after coming out, but some youth
described positive conversations with their parents. Many
reported that their parents struggled with whether or not to adapt
parenting practices (e.g., rules about dating) after they came out.
Youth consistently noted that parent–adolescent relationships
and parenting practices depended on the adolescent’s level of
outness. Findings have important implications for refining HIV
prevention programs for gay/bisexual adolescent boys, especially
interventions that include parents.

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• Gay and Bisexual Adolescent Boy’s Perspectives on Parent– Adolescent Relationships and Parenting Practices Related to Teen Sex and Dating