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Abstract
Adolescent risky sexual behaviors such as early sexual debut, low rates of condom use, and high rates of partner change are associated with a number of negative health and social outcomes including contracting sexual transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. Utilizing a sample of 529 African American adolescents, this study examines the contributions of parenting behaviors and family structure as factors associated with engagement in risky sexual behavior. Participants reported few differences in mothers parenting across family structures. While fathers and relatives provided greater responsiveness on average than stepfathers. Variation in parenting fully explained differences in risky sexual behavior for males. Yet family structure differences persisted for females, with females in mother step-father homes continually engaging in greater mean risky sexual behavior than those in mother-father households even after accounting for parental responsiveness and demandingness. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.