In One Ear and out the Other: The Influence of Parent Adolescent Communication on Risk Behavior Engagement among First Year College Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universitie

The first year of college presents a unique opportunity for new students to experiment with various risk behaviors. Parental messages about these behaviors can have varying impacts on how students choose to partake in risk behaviors, especially when looking at how culture affects how that communication takes place. The present study was conducted to examine the impact of parent-adolescent communication about risk behaviors on student engagement in risk behaviors among first year college students in three cultural subgroups; African American, Caribbean and Continental African parents. A cohort of 102 Black students attending HBCUs were recruited and classified into the three cultural groups according to their parents' birthplace. The data indicated cultural differences in substance use behaviors but no differences in parent-adolescent communication or its influence on student risk behaviors.