As in a number of other countries, Thailand continues to be confronted with concerning trends regarding the HIV epidemic among youth, due to a dramatic rise in adolescent sexual activity and high rates of risky sexual behavior over recent decades. For example, according to the Thailand AIDS Response Progress Report (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, 2012), data for 2010– 2011, compared to 2008–2009, indicated that young people had increased risky behaviors such as low condom use, having more than one sex partner, and initiating sexual intercourse at a younger age. Additionally, the number of young people ages 15– 24 years who were patients with sexually transmitted infections increased from 41.5 cases/100,000 population in 2005 to 79.8 cases/100,000 population in 2010 (Bureau of Epidemiology, 2012). This evidence indicates growing risk of HIV transmission among this population, and thus, prevention interventions are a priority to reduce HIV risk taking in Thai youth. Growing evidence highlights the importance of parents in prevention of HIV; however, few programs have been developed to increase parental monitoring regarding high-risk and protective behaviors. Most parental interventions have focused on parent–child communication about sexual topics and safer-sex behavior, which provide positive outcomes for sexual risk behaviors (Miller et al., 2010; Prado et al., 2007). Parents have reported having experiences of embarrassment, lack of accurate information, and poor communication skills contributing to their

difficulties in effective discussions about sexuality with their adolescent children (Ballard & Gross, 2009; Gallegos, Villarruel, Gomez, Onofre, & Zhou, 2007). Thai parents are expected to take responsibility for monitoring and providing sexual reproductive health education, despite the fact that few parents know how to handle these roles (Fongkaew et al., 2012), and even though some sexual education is provided in schools. Culturally, discussion of sexual issues between parents and children is rare, and Thai families cannot be seen as the primary resource of sexual information for adolescents (Sridawruang, Pfeil, & Crozier, 2010). Additionally, Thai parents may not be aware of adolescent sexual risk behaviors because children keep their sexual stories secret due to fear of being scolded, blamed, or punished by parents (Fongkaew et al., 2012). Parents need to overcome any barriers to talking about sexual issues and risky behaviors. They require assistance, training, and practice in communication skills to gain more understanding and skills; this will result in more effective protection from problem behaviors for their children (Rhucharoenpornpanich et al., 2010). However, it is essential that HIV prevention programs be structured on the basis of Thai cultural characteristics. In a previous article (Meechamnan, Warunee Fongkaew, RN, PhD, is a Professor, Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Sue Turale, RN, DEd, FCNA, FACMHN, is a Professor of International Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Chutima Meechamnan, RN, PhD, is an Instructor, Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.