Father-child sexual communication, as one of the main pillars of communication on sexual topics in families, depends on various factors in the socio-cultural context of the societies (30). The present study investigated the barriers to sexual communication between fathers and adolescents. Since few studies have been conducted in this field, it can expand the depth of our knowledge about this issue.
The results show that less than half of the fathers have sexual communication with their children, whereas Desi et al. (31) demonstrate that it is 30.9%, less than the prevalence obtained in the present study. In the current study, the most sexual communication between fathers and sons was about puberty and its changes, which is in line with the findings of Lehr et al. (32). They reveal a relationship between the boys' puberty-related growth and development and the amount of father-son sexual communication. According to the results, the topics discussed between fathers and daughters are primarily about how to prevent sexual abuse. It is consistent with Miller et al., declaring that fathers are more willing to talk to girls about their partner's pressure to have sex (33). Similar to other studies (19, 24), most fathers believe that the most appropriate time to start sexual communication with a teenager is during puberty, and the main reason that triggers sexual communication with a teenager is the father's initiative (19, 34). Thus, fathers must create a more open atmosphere in the family so that teenagers can freely raise their questions and concerns regarding sexual issues.
Consistent with Jaccard et al. (29), fathers believe that one of the main barriers to sexual communication with their children is the adolescent's embarrassment. Another barrier is that they think talking to teenagers about such issues approves of them having sex; therefore, they refuse talking about sex with their children (35, 36). Similar to previous literature (37, 38), fathers state that it is difficult to discuss sexual issues with their children. Hence, it seems that their inability to communicate with their children and initiate a conversation should be considered in programs to improve their communication skills.
In this study, 25% of fathers declare that talking about sexual issues may make teenagers think that they do not trust them. This concern has resulted in a 71% decrease in the probability of father-adolescent sexual communication, although it may not be only for parents. Correspondingly, Cederbaum et al. (39) report that girls avoid talking to their mothers about sex out of fear of losing their trust.
In contrast to Jaccard et al. (29), this study reveals that fathers who believe their teenagers will ask them more personal questions when discussing sexual issues talk about sexual matters with their children five times more than others. Research shows that adolescents' access to various information sources regarding sexual and reproductive health is related to the increased probability of sexual communication with their parents, and this knowledge can prime them to communicate and initiate such conversation (40, 41). Therefore, it seems that raising private questions by adolescents leads to increased participation in sexual communication, resulting in the maintenance of adolescent-father sexual communication.