Sex- and Age-Based Comparative Analysis of the Pathways from Parental Attitudes Toward Corporal Punishment to Adolescent Psychological Distress and Victimization in School Through Harsh Parenting Practices

The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend seasonal influenza vaccination for all individuals aged 6 months and older. Despite high national immunization rates, the influenza vaccination coverage among Saudi children remains unclear. Parental knowledge and attitudes significantly impact children's vaccination rates. Purpose: This study aims to evaluate parental knowledge, awareness, and attitudes regarding influenza vaccination and identify barriers to vaccination uptake among children in Al-Madinah City, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The population includes parents having children aged 6 months to 14 years. A cross-sectional survey utilizing a 33-item validated questionnaire was conducted to evaluate parental awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward the influenza vaccine. Inferential statistics were employed to evaluate demographic factors influencing parental knowledge and attitudes toward vaccination. Results: This study surveyed 407 parents from Al-Madinah, focusing on their awareness, knowledge, and attitudes towards seasonal influenza vaccination. The sample was primarily Saudi (86.7%), with a mean age of 34 years. Most parents (95.6%) were aware of the vaccine, primarily through media and campaigns. Despite this, only 44.5% had vaccinated themselves or their children, citing perceptions of influenza as mild, vaccine ineffectiveness, and availability issues as primary reasons for non-vaccination. Knowledge about influenza varied, with most parents aware of its contagiousness (64.4%) and symptoms, but misconceptions persisted, such as believing the vaccine could cause the flu. Parental attitudes towards vaccination were mostly positive, with high trust in health information sources and a mean attitude score of 22.48 out of 35. Positive attitudes were correlated with better knowledge and more frequent infection control practices. Age, education, and medical profession status significantly influenced knowledge, while vaccine attitudes were most favorable among those vaccinated (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Most parents in Al-Madinah recognize the importance of vaccination; however, misconceptions about vaccine safety, perceived low need, and barriers such as vaccine availability persist. Sociodemographic factors, including education, income, and profession, are linked to better knowledge and more positive attitudes toward vaccination.

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between parental attitudes toward nature and their child's outdoor recreation and how these attitudes related to their reports of their child's health problems. The sample for this study consisted of parents of 6- to 13-year-old children from the United States, who accessed the survey from an informational website for gardeners between Mar. and Aug. 2009. Surveys were collected until 142 completed questionnaires were received. The online survey included questions about parents' attitude toward nature, parents' attitudes toward their child's outdoor recreation, an inventory of potential children's health problems, the time children spent in various indoor and outdoor activities, and demographic questions. Descriptive statistics were used to tabulate mean scores on the parental attitude toward nature (PAN) scale and parental attitude toward their child's outdoor recreation (PACOR) scale, both of which indicated overall positive views. Pearson's product–moment correlations indicated statistically significant relationships between the PAN scale, the PACOR scale, and time children spent outdoors. Relationships between time spent indoors on video games or watching television and health problems in children were identified. Time spent outdoors in free play was inversely related to reports of health problems in children.

Purpose: This study examined how parenting behaviors and child self-esteem mediate the relationship between maternal attitudes toward corporal punishment and peer violence perpetration by children. The analysis focused on mothers with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Specifically, the study tested both parallel mediation (positive and harsh parenting behaviors) and serial mediation involving child self-esteem.Methods: This study conducted a secondary data analysis using the 2018 nationwide survey administered by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. The sample consisted of 1,097 mothers, each of whom reported at least one ACE. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 26.0 and the PROCESS macro Model 80. Maternal attitudes toward corporal punishment were specified as the independent variable. Positive and harsh parenting behaviors were included as parallel mediators, child self-esteem was modeled as a serial mediator, and peer violence perpetration was treated as the dependent variable. The significance of indirect effects was evaluated using bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples drawn from the original dataset, with bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals.Results: Maternal attitudes toward corporal punishment were significantly associated with harsh parenting behaviors. These behaviors, in turn, had a negative impact on child self-esteem and contributed to greater perpetration of peer violence. The indirect effects were statistically significant based on bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals derived from the bootstrapped sampling distribution. Positive parenting behaviors did not exhibit any significant mediating effects.Conclusion: Tolerant attitudes toward corporal punishment may increase peer violence among children by encouraging harsh parenting and lowering self-esteem. These findings suggest that mitigating harsh parenting and enhancing child self-esteem may help mitigate peer violence. Accordingly, tailored parenting education is recommended for mothers with ACEs.

The purpose of the researcher was to investigate the attitudes toward drinking and alcohol use of students in small high schools. The six independent variables investigated were grade level, gender, community, Perceived Peer Attitude Toward Alcohol, Perceived Parental Attitude Toward Alcohol, and Knowledge of Alcohol. The dependent variables were scores form the Alcohol use and Attitude Toward Drinking subscales of an alcohol questionnaire. Five composite null hypotheses sand one null hypothesis were tested at the .05 level of significance. The sample consisted of 139 students in grades 9-12. For the five composite nulls, a status survey factorial design was employed using a tree-way analysis of variance (general linear model), and the null hypothesis was tested employing a t-test for a correlation coefficient. A total of 41 comparisons were made, plus 30 recurring. Of the 41 comparisons 13 were for main effects and 28 for interactions. Of the 13 main effects 5 were statistically significant at the .05 level. Of the 28 interactions 2 were statistically significant at the .05 level. The results of the present study appeared to support the following generalizations: 1. Perceive Peer Attitude Toward Alcohol is associated with Alcohol Use, 2. Grade placement is not associated with Attitude Toward Drinking. 3. Grade placement is not associated with Alcohol Use. 4. Gender is not associated with Attitude Toward Drinking, 5. Community is not associated with Attitude Toward Drinking. 6. Community is not associated with Alcohol Use, 7. Significant interactions for gender, Perceived Peer Attitude Toward Alcohol Use: and Knowledge of Alcohol, Perceived Parental Attitude Toward Alcohol and Attitude Toward Drinking, and 8. Attitude Toward Drinking is associate to Alcohol Use.

Objective. We studied factors predicting the risk of adverse long-term psychosocial, behavioral, and medical outcomes in children with epilepsy. Methods. Children (N = 157, 4.5 to 13 years) were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study when first seen. Potential subjects were excluded if they were moderately or severely mentally retarded, had motor or sensory handicaps interfering with testing, or did not speak either English or Spanish. Measures. To develop risk predictors, we collected information regarding the child's medical and seizure history, cognitive functioning, and behavior problems, and family functioning. Children and their families were followed for a minimum of 18 months, then underwent reassessment of medical status, parent's attitudes toward epilepsy, and the child's behavioral and cognitive functioning. Data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis to develop baseline factors (Sociocultural Risk, Seizure Risk, and Behavior Problems) and outcome factors (Medical/Seizure Problems, Parent's Negative Attitudes Toward Epilepsy, and Behavior Problems), followed by structural equation modeling to determine across-time causal effects. Eighty-eight subjects completed all baseline and outcome measures. Results. Among significant across-time effects, Medical Outcome was predicted by Seizure Risk. An increased number of stressful life events predicted better Medical Outcome. Low acculturation increased Parent's Negative Attitudes and was associated with increased Behavior Problems at baseline. Behavior Problems were stable across time. It is interesting that IQ did not affect any of the outcomes, although its effect may have been mediated through other baseline measures. Conclusions. Seizure history was the best predictor of ongoing medical difficulties, whereas the most important causes of ongoing parental anxiety and negative attitudes toward epilepsy were sociocultural Variation in medical or attitudinal outcomes was not influenced by either the child's IQ or reported behavioral problems. These findings suggest that to alter attitudes toward epilepsy, programs should be tailored to the sociocultural background of the family. Studies of quality of life of children with epilepsy should include appropriate sociocultural measures.

Problem. Parents' attitudes toward child rearing are considered to be a major factor affecting their children's study habits, study attitudes, and study skills achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between parental attitudes toward child rearing and the study skills, study habits, and study attitudes of early adolescents toward their schoolwork. Method. The student population used in the study were the 103 seventh- and eighth-grade students who were enrolled in Andrews Junior Academy at Berrien Springs, Michigan during the 1977-78 school year. The parents included in the study were the parents of these same early adolescents. The parents were asked to respond to the Maryland Parent Attitude Survey by Donald K. Pumroy (1966), while the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes, Form H, by Brown and Holtzman (1968), and the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Form 6 were administered to the students. In order to maintain anonymity for all the respondents, the parental test numbers were matched with the student test numbers by a responsible person who, in turn, did not receive the final parental responses. Six hypotheses were formulated and projected for the study. Two of these dealt with maternal attitudes toward child rearing and their correlation with the student study habits, study attitudes, and study skills achievement. Two hypotheses were concerned with the paternal attitudes toward child rearing as they are correlated with the student study habits, study attitudes, and study skills achievement. The other two hypotheses included both maternal and paternal attitudes toward child rearing and combined these attitude variables with the study habits, study attitudes, and study skills achievement of the early adolescents. The study employed the canonical correlation comparison using a combination of sets of variables, and only those variables in any set whose weight was at least 50 percent of the maximum of that set were included. Findings. The data analysis for the six hypotheses produced the following findings: (1) The student's high delay avoidance and education acceptance are significantly related to the mother's more disciplinarian, less protective and indulgent, but more rejecting attitudes toward child rearing. (2) The student's high delay avoidance and low education acceptance are significantly related to the father's more disciplinarian, less indulgent, and more protective attitudes toward child rearing. (3) The student's high education acceptance and low delay avoidance are significantly correlated with the more disciplinarian, less indulgent maternal attitudes and with the father's less disciplinarian, more indulgent, and less protective attitudes toward child rearing. (4) The more disciplinarian and indulgent, but less protective and rejecting mother attitude variables are significantly related to the student's high reading and high work-skills achievement but low vocabulary and low mathematics skills achievement. (5) The more disciplinarian, less protective and less indulgent father attitude variables are signficantly related to the student's low vocabulary and low mathematics skills achievement. (6) The more disciplinarian, less indulgent, less rejecting mother attitude variables are significantly related to the student's high reading skills achievement and low language skills achievement. The slightly indulgent, less protective, and slightly rejecting father attitude variables were not consistently significant to appear in the study analysis for this part of the study. Conclusions. On the basis of the findings, the following conclusions emerged: 1. The findings of this study confirm the point mentioned in the review of literature that variables operate in combination because attitude is a very complex process (Craig, 1976; Douvan &amp; Adelson, 1966; Hurlock, 1972; Hurlock, 1975). 2. It is clearly apparent that parents' attitudes toward child rearing do affect the students' study habits, study attitudes, and study skills achievement. 3. The father's attitudes toward child rearing have more effect on the student's study habits and study attitudes, while the mother's attitudes toward child rearing have more effect on the student's study skills achievement. 4. It can be concluded that the disciplinarian attitudes of the parents are a significant factor affecting the early adolescents' school attitudes and school habits, as well as their school performance. This agrees with the statement by White (1923) when she says, "but few parents realize that their children are what their example and discipline have made them" (p. 28).

Depression, depression stigma, and attitude toward psychiatric help are associated factors of suicide in adolescents. As parents are the main decision-makers of receiving professional help for their children’s depression and suicide, parental factors influencing their children’s suicide should be examined. Moreover, parents’ help-seeking attitude for their own mental health problems could affect their children’s mental health problems. Therefore, this study examined the serial mediation of adolescents’ depression, depression stigma, and attitude toward psychiatric help in the relationship between parental attitude toward psychiatric help and the suicidal ideation of their children, using data of 103 parent–child pairs. A cross-sectional study was conducted by employing a self-administered survey. A serial mediation analysis was performed using Amos 25.0. Parental attitude toward psychiatric help directly and indirectly influenced children’s suicidal ideation. Children’s depression stigma, attitude toward psychiatric help, and depression mediated the relationship of parental attitude toward psychiatric help and their children’s suicidal ideation. When parents have a more positive attitude toward psychiatric help, their children’s suicidal ideation become more decreased. Enhancing only parental attitude toward psychiatric help may make a positive change on their children’s suicidal ideation. The study findings imply that when developing and applying youth suicide prevention programs, how parents affect their children’s suicidal ideation should be considered as well as adolescents’ depression stigma, attitude toward psychiatric help, and depression. Given the results of this study, healthcare providers may better evaluate the effectiveness of their intervention programs for preventing adolescents’ suicide.

The purpose of the researcher was to investigate parental attitudes toward raising children. The following independent variables were investigated: gender of the parent, age of the parent, number of children, ages of children, and marital status of the parent. The dependent variables were the scores obtained from the following subscales of the Parental Attitudes toward Child Rearing Questionnaire: Warmth, Encouragement of Independence, Strictness, and Aggravation. The sample consisted of 65 usable copies of the questionnaire. Five composite null hypotheses were tested, employing a three-way analysis of variance (general linear model). A total of 64 comparisons were made plus 60 recurring. Of the 64 comparisons, 20 were for main effects and 44 were for interactions. Of the 20 main effects, 4 were statistically significant at the .05 level. Of the 44 interactions, 6 were statistically significant at the .05 level. The results of the present study appeared to support the following generalizations: 1. Males are stricter than females, 2. Parents not married give more importance to Encouragement of Independence, 3. Gender of parents and age of parents should be interpreted simultaneously for Warmth, 4. Gender of parents and number of children should be interpreted simultaneously for Warmth, 5. Age of parents and marital status should be interpreted simultaneously for Strictness, 6. Age of children and marital status should be interpreted simultaneously for Strictness, 7. Age of children and marital status should be interpreted simultaneously for Aggravation, 8. Gender of parents and marital status should be interpreted simultaneously for Warmth, 9. Parents’ attitudes toward Warmth and Encouragement of Independence are positive, and 10. Parents’ attitudes toward Strictness and Aggravation are neither positive nor negative.

ObjectiveThis study aims to measure vaccine hesitancy, awareness and attitude towards vaccination among parents in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study, using a self-administered online questionnaire distributed within different social media platforms in Saudi Arabia. The study sample included both mothers and fathers residing in Saudi Arabia with children aged 2 months to 7 years. The questionnaire included demographic information, a five-item awareness scale, parental attitudes toward vaccination, and a culturally adapted version of the World Health Organization’s Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the study sample as inferential tests were not feasible. All statistical analysis was performed using PSPP.ResultsA total of 233 parents participated. While most parents exhibited high awareness of vaccine benefits and effectiveness, 9% reported delaying vaccination, and a small proportion expressed vaccine hesitancy. Common reasons for hesitancy included fear of new vaccines compared to older vaccines (44%), concerns about serious side effects of vaccines (51%), and concerns about administering multiple vaccines simultaneously (44%). The adapted VHS demonstrated good internal reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.88).ConclusionAlthough vaccine acceptance remains high among Saudi parents, a subset still delays or questions vaccines due to safety concerns and misinformation. Tailored public health messaging and healthcare provider engagement are needed to address specific parental concerns and reinforce trust in vaccination program.

BackgroundParental preferences and attitudes strongly influence dentists’ choices for managing children’s behavior in clinics. This study aimed to assess parental attitudes toward two behavior management technique (BMTs)—nitrous oxide (N2O) sedation and/or protective passive stabilization by papoose board (PB)—before and after their children received dental treatment at two referral centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.MethodsParticipants were parents of healthy children who required dental treatment under N2O and/or PB over an 18-month period. Before and after dental treatment, parents answered a questionnaire on their attitudes toward BMTs used on their children. Parents were divided into three groups: Group 1 (parents of children who received N2O), Group 2 (parents of children who received PB), and Group 3 (parents of children who received both N2O and PB).ResultsOut of the 132 parents who answered the questionnaire, 106 (80.3%) were in Group 1, 10 (7.6%) in Group 2, and 16 (12.1%) in Group 3. More children of parents with low monthly family incomes were in Group 3 than Group 1 compared to other family-incomes.ConclusionParental attitudes toward N2O and/or PB improved after their children experienced BMTs. The future use of PB alone with their child’s sibling was parents’ least preferred BMT (p = 0.001).

The purpose of the researcher was to investigate Attitudes Toward Alcohol and Knowledge of Alcohol in students in grades 7 and 8. The following independent variables were investigated: Perceived Peer Attitude Toward Alcohol, Perceived Parental Attitude Toward Alcohol, Knowledge of Alcohol, grade placement, and gender. The dependent variable was scores from the Attitude Toward Alcohol questionnaire. The sample consisted of 112 students. Six composite null hypotheses were tested employing a three-way analysis of variance (general linear model) at the .0500 level. A total of 22 comparisons were made plus 20 recurring. Of the 22 comparisons 6 were for main effects and 16 were for interactions. Of the 6 main effects 3 were statistically significant at the .0500 level. The following main effects were statistically significant. 1) the independent variable Perceived Peer Attitude Toward Alcohol and the dependent variable Attitude Toward Alcohol. 2) the independent variable Perceived Parental Attitude Toward Alcohol and the dependent variable Attitude Toward Alcohol, and 3) the independent variable gender and the dependent variable Attitude Toward Alcohol. Or the 16 interactions 3 were statistically significant at the .0500 level. The following interactions were statistically significant: 1) the independent variables Perceived Peer Attitude Toward Alcohol and Perceived Parental Attitude Toward Alcohol for the dependent variable Attitude Toward Alcohol. 2) the independent variable Perceived Parental Attitude Toward Alcohol and Knowledge of Alcohol for the dependent variable Attitude Toward Alcohol, and 3) the independent variables gender, and Knowledge of Alcohol for the dependent variable Attitude Toward Alcohol. The results of the present study appeared to support the following generalizations: 1) Perceived Peer Attitude Toward Alcohol and Perceived Parental Attitude Toward Alcohol should be interpreted concurrently for Attitude Toward Alcohol. 2) Perceived Parental Attitude Toward Alcohol and Knowledge of Alcohol should be interpreted concurrently for Attitude toward Alcohol, and 3) gender and Knowledge of Alcohol should be interpreted concurrently for Attitude Toward Alcohol.

This mixed-method study examined a neglected area in career education: parents’ attitudes toward the relevance of early career development, parents’ attitudes toward the implementation of career education in preschools (including preferred subjects to be included in curricula), and the contribution of gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and education to these attitudes. Fifteen parents were interviewed, and an additional 140 parents (47 men, 93 women; ages 24—55 years) with at least one preschooler (4—6 years old) completed two attitude questionnaires developed for the current study. Results indicated moderate positive agreement with the developmental approach and with preschool implementation of career education. Parents agreed that the curriculum in the preschool system should include some career education, but they wanted it introduced slowly, step-by-step. Almost all of them talked about the need to protect children from the complexity of work. Education and high SES correlated with positive attitudes. The study discusses practical implications for career education programs.

The purpose of this paper is to provide psychometric data on the Parental Attitudes Toward Psychological Services Inventory (PATPSI), which is a revised measure to assess parents' attitudes toward outpatient mental health services. Using a sample of adults (N = 250), Study 1 supported a 3-factor structure (RMSEA = .05, NNFI = .94, and CFI = .94), adequate internal consistency (ranging from .72 to .92), and test-retest reliability (ranging from .66 to .84). Additionally, results indicated that individuals with previous use of mental health services reported more positive views toward child mental health services. Study 2 provided confirming evidence of the 3-factor structure (NNFI = .94, RMSEA = .08, and the CFI = .95) and adequate reliability (ranging from .70 to .90) using a parent-sample (N = 260). Additionally, discriminate validity of the PATPSI was supported. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

Parental attitudes toward and knowledge of stuttering

Vaccination hesitancy (VH) is an important public health issue. The determinants of parental decisions on whether to vaccinate their children are multidimensional and need to be carefully considered in the COVID-19 era. Our study aims to investigate the prevalence of VH among parents, parents’ use of social media, and their attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine upon vaccine refusal. Materials and methods: Our participants were the parents of children admitted to hospitals in three different cities in Turkey between September 2021 and December 2021. The parents were asked to complete sociodemographic data and their attitudes toward COVID-19 diseases, the Parental Attitudes Toward Childhood Vaccines (PACV) scale, and the Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccine (ATV-COVID-19) scale. Participants were categorized as “non-hesitant”, with a score of <50, and “hesitant”, with a score of ≥50. Results: A total of 1087 parents with a mean age of 33.66 (SD 9.1) years old participated in the study. VH was noted in 102 (9.38%) parents. Age, gender, education, and income levels did not significantly differ from one another, according to the PACV; however, parents who delayed vaccinating their children and indicated that social media had an impact on vaccination decisions were more hesitant. Parents who were male and had a family member diagnosed with COVID-19 showed more positive attitudes in the ATV-COVID-19. Parents who were hesitant about childhood vaccinations had lower positive attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine (2.84 ± 0.97) than parents who were not hesitant (3.77 ± 0.9). A total of 761 (70.14%) parents need more information about childhood immunizations. Conclusion: Parents who are hesitant about childhood immunization programs in Turkey have a less positive attitude toward COVID-19 vaccines and are affected by social media. Parents need information about vaccines, and because the controversy surrounding COVID-19 vaccines can diminish parents’ confidence in routine childhood immunizations, understanding the complex causes behind vaccination hesitancy can help public health policy break through barriers and increase immunization rates.