Child discipline and violence in Nigeria: A community‐based intervention programme to reduce violent discipline and other forms of negative parenting practices

Abstract

Despite the growing research that demonstrates that the use of corporal punishment with children is harmful, many Nigerian parents still utilise such methods without realising the implications. Because of lack of a strong evidence‐based programme to serve local needs, we developed a community‐based parenting education programme (PEP) to help parents reduce violent discipline and learn more positive strategies of dealing with children. Using a quasi‐experimental design in which six communities were selected from different regions across Nigeria, three as the intervention and three as the control, we tested the effectiveness of the programme with 300 parents of children aged 3–12. Parents in the intervention communities (n = 150) were exposed to 8‐week PEP intervention session on a 2‐hour weekly basis. Parents in the control communities (n = 150) were given a placebo treatment. Data were collected through questionnaires and observation. Findings revealed positive changes in parental beliefs, attitudes and practices about child‐rearing. Significant reductions were observed in the frequency with which parents used corporal punishment, and adopting more positive methods in dealing with their children including verbal praise and redirecting; a feat that was lacking prior to intervention. Effect sizes associated with the gains in parental outcomes were in the medium to large range (0.62—0.84). Comparison of means of pre‐, post‐ and delayed intervention measures showed greater gains by the intervention group. These findings provided empirical support for wider implementation of the PEP programme, which would help many more parents become more effective in their parenting in ways that support their children's optimal development.