Parental Use Of Corporal Punishment Research Articles

The Effects of Perception and Childhood History on the Likelihood of Using Corporal Punishment on Children in Southwest Nigeria

Purpose: Despite its prohibition in some countries, corporal punishment persists globally, with parents using it for preventive, corrective, or punitive reasons. However, factors contributing to its persistent use in many developing countries lack comprehensive understanding. This study explores some of these factors—perceptions of physical abuse, childhood history of corporal punishment, and perceived efficacy—associated with the corporal punishment of children in Nigeria, practiced in diverse settings such as home, school, and community.
 Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to obtain a sample of 187 respondents from southwest Nigeria who participated in a survey exploring their perceptions, childhood history of corporal punishment, and likelihood of using such methods on children. They consist of 65.8% males (n = 123) and 34.2% females (n=64) with an average age of 26.60 years (SD = 5.91). Descriptive analysis was used to describe the demographic characteristics, and multiple regression analysis was used to examine the associations.
 Results: The results reveal that the majority of respondents (n = 174, 93%) had experienced corporal punishment during their childhood and perceived it as effective in modifying a child’s behavior (n = 139, 74.3%). Weaker perceptions of physically abusive behaviors, a history of childhood corporal punishment, and support for the efficacy of such punishment were all correlated with an increased likelihood of using corporal punishment on children, although the positive and negative correlations were low.
 Conclusion: Findings emphasize the role of perceptions and childhood experiences in understanding parental use of corporal punishment. Addressing misconceptions about its effectiveness can reveal negative impacts, discourage use, and break the cycle of intergenerational transmission. The influence of weaker perceptions and support for corporal punishment suggests intervention potential, including parental awareness campaigns and educational programs to promote alternative disciplinary strategies for managing children's behavior.

Physical Violence and Scapegoating Within the Family: An Exploration of Biblical Texts and Contemporary Psychology.

To understand physical violence in the family, it is important to define the role of the victim. The term "scapegoat" is a universal anthropological concept, often used in sociological theories, where a certain group of people and/or minorities are often victimized or blamed (e.g., social ills). We may note that the phenomenon of scapegoating is most clearly expressed in the Bible. Therefore, we will use relevant biblical texts that refer to parental use of corporal punishment in which a child is scapegoated and/or victimized by parental violence. In this sense, the Bible is the most profound explanation and manifestation of the cultural, social, and especially religious development of humanity. At the same time, the concept of scapegoating is also demonstrated in psychology and therapy, where it also serves as a basis for understanding, for example, physical violence in the family, and where it is also crucial to define the role of the victim. In this article, therefore, we will explain the biblical background of this concept and highlight two basic dynamics of violence against children in the family: when the child is the "scapegoat" for unresolved tensions in the family and when the child becomes the "sacrifice" or victim of the dysregulated emotional response of his or her parents.

Parental Corporal Punishment and Peer Victimization in Middle Childhood: A Sex-Moderated Mediation Model of Aggression.

There is a peak in peer victimization during middle childhood, with multiple negative consequences. Parental use of corporal punishment and child aggression are the most widely studied predictors of this phenomenon. The aim of the present study was to analyze whether parental use of corporal punishment affects peer victimization through child aggression. This mediation model was explored for both mothers and fathers and for both physical and relational forms of aggression and peer victimization. Furthermore, we also analyzed whether the mediation models were moderated by the sex of the child. Participants were 234 third graders (46% girls). Child aggression and victimization were measured by peers using the Mini Direct Indirect Aggression Inventory. Independent measures of mother’s and father’s use of corporal punishment were obtained from a PCA of items from the Parental Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ). Conditional process modeling was carried out using a macro for SPSS developed by Hayes (2013). Results indicated that aggression mediated the relation of parental corporal punishment to peer victimization. Some interesting moderating effects of sex in this mediation model were found; specifically, physical, and relational aggression mediated the relation of maternal corporal punishment to peer victimization only in boys. Few studies to date have addressed the connection between aggressive behavior and peer victimization as outcomes of corporal punishment, taking into consideration the role of parent’s and child’s sex, and both physical and relational forms of aggression and victimization during childhood.

Prediction of health, education, and psychosocial professionals’ attitudes in favor of parental use of corporal punishment

BackgroundTo date, there have been few studies pertaining to the knowledge and attitudes regarding the use of corporal punishment (CP) among professionals working with parents and children. Yet, many parents turn to these professionals for advice on child discipline. ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe professionals’ legal knowledge about parental use of CP and their attitudes toward this practice. MethodA study was conducted among professionals working directly with children or their parents through an online questionnaire. ParticipantsA total of 1,758 respondents from three sectors of training (psychosocial, health, education) completed the questionnaire. ResultsThe results showed that professionals have little knowledge of the legal guidelines surrounding the use of CP in Canada. This poor knowledge as well as the perceived impacts of CP on children acted as predictors of favorable attitudes toward this disciplinary practice. According to the regression analyses, other personal and professional factors also explain a person’s approval of CP, including violence in childhood, religious practice, and sources of knowledge. The results also highlighted some findings related to the respondents’ professional sectors. ConclusionsThe study results emphasize the need to better train professionals by targeting cognitive, personal, as well as professional factors.

A Bayesian analysis of associations between neighborhoods, spanking and child externalizing behavior

BackgroundA large body of research has found that corporal punishment is associated with increases in children’s behavior problems. However, questions remain as to whether or not the relationship between corporal punishment and behavior problems is equally true across contexts. ObjectiveTo examine the degree to which the effects of corporal punishment are equivalent across neighborhoods. Specifically, is corporal punishment equivalently associated with child behavior problems in neighborhoods that are perceived to be unsafe or disadvantaged, as compared to neighborhoods that are perceived to be less disadvantaged? Participants2703 participants in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. MethodsWe employed Bayesian regression methods, to examine the association of neighborhood disadvantage, corporal punishment, and their interaction, with child behavior problems. ResultsFindings suggest that both neighborhood disadvantage (β = 0.070) and parental use of corporal punishment (β = 0.169) had main effect associations with child behavior. However, there was no evidence for an interaction of neighborhood disadvantage and corporal punishment use. ConclusionsBoth corporal punishment and neighborhood disadvantage were associated with increases in child behavior problems. Corporal punishment appears to be equally deleterious across neighborhood contexts.

Outcomes of CPC-CBT in Sweden Concerning Psychosocial Well-Being and Parenting Practice: Children’s Perspectives

Purpose: This study explores the outcome of the intervention combined parent child–cognitive behavioral therapy (CPC-CBT) for physically abused children. Method: This study includes a clinical sample of children ( n = 62) referred to Child Welfare Service due to reports of child physical abuse who completed CPC-CBT. A pretest/posttest design was applied to assess changes on the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) after treatment and was compared with normative values. In addition, the occurrence of corporal punishment from pre to posttest was explored. Results: Children reported a significant decrease in parental use of corporal punishment after treatment and a significant reduction in symptoms associated with trauma (decreased to normal values for TSCC). The positive changes remained at the 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: The CPC-CBT intervention seemed to decrease parental use of corporal punishment and increase the well-being of children. Clinical implications are discussed.

Early Socialization of Hostile Attribution Bias: The Roles of Parental Attributions, Parental Discipline, and Child Attributes.

The goal of this study was to examine child and parent predictors of children's hostile attribution bias (HAB) with a particular focus on exploring the associations between parents' early attribution of child misbehavior and children's HAB in the transition to school-age. Participants were 241 children (118 girls) of middle-income families who were at risk for school-age conduct problems. Multi-method, multi-informant data were collected on maternal attributions of child misbehavior, parental use of corporal punishment, and child attributes (i.e., verbal IQ, effortful control, theory of mind, emotional understanding) at 3 years, and child HAB in ambiguous situations at 6 years. Results indicated that mothers' internal explanations for children's misconduct may either reduce or increase children's later HAB depending on the specific content of attributions, such that mothers' belief that children misbehave because of their internal state (i.e., emotional state or temperament) was associated with lower levels of child HAB, whereas attributing power-based motives (i.e., manipulative, controlling intentions) in children was associated with higher levels of HAB. The findings are discussed with respect to appreciating the complexity of parents' explanations for children's behavior, and considering parental cognition as a potential target for early identification and prevention of child HAB and related problems.

Exploring the reciprocal relations between mothers' and fathers' use and attitudes of corporal punishment in China: A cross-lagged analysis.

Corporal punishment is a commonly used form of disciplinary technique. Sanctified parental attitudes of corporal punishment have been found to be a significant predictor of parental use of corporal punishment in previous research, while little is currently known about the reciprocal relations between parental use and their attitudes of corporal punishment. This research aimed to examine the reciprocal relations between mothers' and fathers' use and attitudes of corporal punishment in China. Data were collected on a total of 320 Chinese father-mother dyads with their children (10-11 years of age at baseline) through convenience sampling techniques at two time points, one year apart. Parents completed self-report measures of mothers' and fathers' use and attitudes of corporal punishment. Children completed self-report measures of parental corporal punishment. The cross-lagged analysis indicated that parental attitudes of corporal punishment in a given year predicted their use of corporal punishment in the subsequent year both for mothers (β = 0.15, p < .01) and fathers (β = 0.10, p < .05), while their corporal punishment in a given year did not predict their attitudes of it in the subsequent year (βs < 0.11, ps > .05). Findings indicate that the reciprocal relations do not emerge, with only attitude-behavior effects being evident for both mothers and fathers, while behavior-attitude effects were not present. Findings in the present study highlight the importance of changing both mothers' and fathers' favorable attitudes toward corporal punishment when conducting appropriate prevention intervention to decrease its use.

Perceptions of Adolescents and Caregivers of Corporal Punishment: A Qualitative Study Among Indo-Caribbean in Suriname.

While the protection of children from all forms of violence is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, violence remains a part of life for children around the globe. Corporal punishment is a form of violence and a dominant practice as a method of corrective parenting in the Caribbean. While researchers are starting to ask children directly about their experiences of violence, there is limited research on children's perspectives of the function, legality, and boundaries of corporal punishment, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. This study begins to address this gap by reporting on 12 focus groups that were conducted with adolescents (aged 12 to 18 years) and caregivers of Indo-Caribbean background in Suriname. The aim is to explore adolescents' and caregivers' shared perspectives about the prevalence of corporal punishment in Suriname, responses to and feelings about its use as a discipline strategy and perspectives of the rationales for and against corporal punishment, and their views on banning it. Analyses were done using ATLAS.ti version 1.0.50, a qualitative data package. Corporal punishment showed to be an everyday experience in children's lives in Suriname. There was no clear consensus regarding adolescents' and caregivers' perspectives on the parental use of corporal punishment. Many participants hesitated to support efforts to prohibit corporal punishment legally. Messages arising from this study could usefully inform the development of a public information campaign on safe and effective discipline of children in Suriname.

Predictors of parental use of corporal punishment in Ukraine

Despite a great deal of evidence that corporal punishment is harmful, corporal punishment is still very prevalent worldwide. We examine predictors of different types of corporal punishment among Ukrainian mothers in 12 communities across Ukraine. Findings suggest that maternal spirituality, maternal coping styles, family communication, and some demographic characteristics are predictive of mothers' use of corporal punishment.

The predictors of parental use of corporal punishment in the upbringing of children of preschool age

Although Serbia has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and thus committed itself to a complete ban on the corporal punishment in all settings, including home, very little is known about what kind of parents punish their children, how frequently and what their attitudes on this topic are. The objectives of the study presented in this article were: to determine what beliefs prevail among parents of preschool children in terms of corporal punishment of children, what is the incidence of corporal punishment in the upbringing of children of preschool age, and whether differences between parents regarding the use of corporal punishment in the upbringing of children of preschool age could be explained by the socio-demographic, individually psychological factors and experiences of parents in coparenting. The study included 293 parents of both genders, whose children attended preschools in Belgrade, Novi Sad and municipality of Alibunar. The respondents filled out a questionnaire that included various issues related to sociodemographic and individually psychological factors, a questionnaire on Attitude towards corporal punishment, a questionnaire on Beliefs about corporal punishment, as well as the questionnaire on Experiences in coparenting. The results have shown that parents believe that physical punishment harms a child (71%), that the child can be punished sometimes, or in exceptional cases but only slightly (about 50%). When it comes to the prohibition of corporal punishment, 46% of parents believe that it should be introduced. On the issue of the incidence of corporal punishment, 41% of parents have never applied corporal punishment, while 59% of them have applied corporal punishment: 45% of them on an annual, 12% on a monthly, 1% on a weekly, and 1% on an everyday basis. Parents with three or more children, who have experienced corporal punishment during their own childhood and those who have a more positive attitude towards corporal punishment are more likely to apply corporal punishment in the upbringing of their children. Younger parents are also more likely to punish children, however when we take into account the socio-demographic factors only. Experiences in coparenting are correlated with, but in the context of other predictors do not provide unique contribution to the predicton of the use of corporal punishment. Further research are needed in order to obtain more precise and broader picture about this subject.

Predicting externalizing and prosocial behaviors in children from parental use of corporal punishment

AbstractThis study examined whether parental corporal punishment (CP) was associated with children's externalizing and prosocial behaviors 2 years later. The potential moderating effects of child temperament, maternal depression, and parenting skills were explored. Also, exploratory analyses of these associations were conducted according to the children's gender. Data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (n = 1,686 children) were analyzed using ordinary least‐squares regression models. CP at 41 months was associated with boys' and girls' physical aggression and conduct problems at age five. Positive parenting skills moderated boys' conduct problems in the absence of CP. Parenting skills and maternal depressive symptoms moderated girls' prosocial behaviors in the absence of CP. Early experiences of CP are associated with negative developmental outcomes 2 years later. The implementation of parenting programs targeting a reduction in CP is recommended.Highlights Research question: Does spanking or hitting a child when he misbehaves influence children's externalizing and prosocial behaviors? Data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development were analyzed. Early spanking or hitting was associated with boys' and girls' physical aggression and conduct problems at age 5. Early experiences of spanking and hitting are associated with negative developmental outcomes. The implementation of parenting programs targeting a reduction in these parenting practices is recommended.

Reductions in Parental Use of Corporal Punishment on Pre-School Children Following Participation in the Moms' Empowerment Program.

Corporal punishment is a widely used and widely endorsed form of parental discipline. Inter-partner violence places enormous stress upon women. The rate of corporal punishment is higher in homes where other types of domestic violence are also occurring. This study compares two groups: those who participated in an intervention for women exposed to intimate partner violence (The Moms' Empowerment Program [MEP]) and those in a comparison group. Using standardized measures, women in both groups were assessed at baseline and at the end of the program, 5 weeks later. The 113 mothers who participated in the MEP program had significantly improved their parenting, such that they had less use of physical punishment post-intervention. Findings suggest that a relatively brief community-based intervention program can reduce the use of parental physical punishment even in disadvantaged populations coping with stressful circumstances.

Changing orientations to corporal punishment: A randomized, control trial of the efficacy of a motivational approach to psycho-education.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a motivational interviewing (MI) approach in changing positive attitudes toward corporal punishment (CP), behavioral intentions, and behavior. CP has been linked to a variety of negative outcomes for children, and parents' attitudes toward CP strongly predicts its use. Five brief interventions have been reported in the literature designed to target CP attitudes. The current study adopts a novel approach by evaluating the effects of a brief, psycho-educational intervention incorporating aspects of MI. METHOD: Forty-three mothers of children ages 3 to 5 completed 1 motivational psycho-education session. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention or waitlist, completing assessments at baseline, postintervention, and 1-month follow-up. After follow-up, the waitlist condition crossed over, completing the intervention and further assessments. RESULTS: The intervention was associated with greater reductions in CP attitudes and intentions versus the waitlist; these effects were replicated in the crossover group. Further, participants' in-session change-talk predicted greater changes in CP attitudes. The effect size of the current approach was stronger than the prior interventions. CONCLUSIONS: MI is a promising approach to address parental use of CP, though this approach needs replication with a larger sample. Several ways of incorporating this approach on a wider scale are considered. ©2016 American Psychological Association Language: en

Parental use of corporal punishment in Europe: intersection between public health and policy.

Studies have linked the use of corporal punishment of children to the development of mental health disorders. Despite the recommendation of international governing bodies for a complete ban of the practice, there is little European data available on the effects of corporal punishment on mental health and the influence of laws banning corporal punishment. Using data from the School Children Mental Health Europe survey, the objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the prevalence and legal status of corporal punishment across six European countries and to evaluate the association between parental use of corporal punishment and children’s mental health. The study found that odds of having parents who reported using occasional to frequent corporal punishment were 1.7 times higher in countries where its use is legal, controlling for socio-demographic factors. Children with parents who reported using corporal punishment had higher rates of both externalized and internalized mental health disorders.

Corporal punishment and youth externalizing behavior in Santiago, Chile

ObjectivesCorporal punishment is still widely practiced around the globe, despite the large body of child development research that substantiates its short- and long-term consequences. Within this context, this paper examined the relationship between parental use of corporal punishment and youth externalizing behavior with a Chilean sample to add to the growing empirical evidence concerning the potential relationship between increased corporal punishment and undesirable youth outcomes across cultures. MethodsAnalysis was based on 919 adolescents in Santiago, Chile. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the extent to which parents’ use of corporal punishment and positive family measures were associated with youth externalizing behavior. Furthermore, the associations between self-reported externalizing behavior and infrequent, as well as frequent, use of corporal punishment were investigated to understand how varying levels of parental use of corporal punishment were differently related to youth outcomes. ResultsBoth mothers’ and fathers’ use of corporal punishment were associated with greater youth externalizing behavior. Additionally, increases in positive parenting practices, such as parental warmth and family involvement, were met with decreases in youth externalizing behavior when controlling for youth demographics, family socioeconomic status, and parents’ use of corporal punishment. Finally, both infrequent and frequent use of corporal punishment were positively associated with higher youth problem behaviors, though frequent corporal punishment had a stronger relationship with externalizing behavior than did infrequent corporal punishment. ConclusionsParental use of corporal punishment, even on an occasional basis, is associated with greater externalizing behavior for youth while a warm and involving family environment may protect youth from serious problem behaviors. Therefore, findings of this study add to the growing evidence concerning the negative consequences of corporal punishment for youth outcomes.

The Adjustment of Ethnic Minority and Majority Children Living in Israel: Does Parental Use of Corporal Punishment Act as a Mediator?

AbstractThis paper examines explanatory mechanisms of differences, in both positive and negative aspects of children's adjustment, between ethnic minority (i.e., Former Soviet Union—FSU origin) and ethnic majority (i.e., Israeli) children living in Israel. Seventy Israeli children (40 girls) and 75 FSU origin children (38 girls) and their parents constituted the study sample. Both mothers and fathers reported on the children's prosocial and externalizing behaviours and provided accounts of their use of corporal punishment. Analyses showed that FSU origin children displayed lower levels of prosocial behaviour as well as higher levels of externalizing problems and that their parents used more corporal punishment than their Israeli counterparts. In addition, a mediation model was determined in which both maternal and paternal use of corporal punishment mediated the link between ethnicity and the child's prosocial behaviour. Furthermore, according to the best fitting structural equation model, ethnicity did not have a direct effect on children's prosocial behaviour. This link was fully mediated by maternal and paternal corporal punishment. No mediation was revealed for the links between ethnicity and externalizing problems. The process of risk is discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Thoughts on Social Work Knowledge Development Activities within a Quantitative Framework

As a result of many years of serving as reviewers for numerous journals from multiple professions and disciplines and through our own experience as researchers and authors, we offer the following thoughts on conducting research within a quantitative framework. We hope these ideas can further strengthen knowledge development activities by social work researchers who rely on quantitative methods. The focus on quantitative methods is largely because this is the work we do, and hence we believe we are in a strong position to offer ideas that can serve to strengthen this line of work. Colleagues who can make suggestions along the lines of qualitative research will be sought out to speak on these issues in a subsequent editorial. In this editorial, we make a two-stage argument. First, we argue that quantitative research in social work must increase in its statistical sophistication if social work research is to make robust and widely read conclusions about the social problems and issues that social workers care about. Second, we argue that technical sophistication is not enough. Social workers and social work researchers must think carefully about the research questions, methodologies, and conclusions that underlie social work research. For many research questions, simple univariate statistics such as means, medians, standard deviations, and percentages, or bivariate statistics such as correlations, t tests, and chi-squares are often not sufficient to address the research question of interest. Such univariate and bivariate statistics provide critical pieces of information about the study sample and about basic relationships among variables, but they are only a first step in the process of uncovering more complex relationships. In the case of bivariate statistics alone, for example, these estimates do not afford the ability to control for the effects of other variables that might affect, or account for, the relationships of interest. For example, in a study of the relationship of a particular kind of parenting with children's behavior problems, it would be important to control for other variables. Without such statistical controls it would be possible that any observed bivariate relationship could be attributed to an unobserved third factor. As an illustration, in a recent article, Grogan-Kaylor (2004) used regression methods to demonstrate that a relationship between parental use of corporal punishment and children's antisocial behavior persisted even when factors such as children's age, or initial levels of antisocial behavior were accounted. Through the use of more sophisticated statistical techniques, the author was able to account for a number of factors that are sometimes suggested as explanations for the observed relationship between parental use of corporal punishment and higher levels of children's behavior problems and to provide stronger evidence that parental use of corporal punishment has undesirable effects on children's behavior. The particular regression models were fixed-effect regression models, an extension of ordinary least squares regression that is able to account for both observed and some unobserved variables. We acknowledge that the use of more sophisticated statistical methods that can rule out alternative explanations in social work research is hindered by several factors. First of all, authors may not always have the necessary expertise to carry out the appropriate statistical analyses. Graduate programs in social work at both the master's and doctoral levels are encouraged to provide social work students with at least some training in multivariate methods. At the same time, we recognize that it may often be beneficial for social workers to collaborate with researchers such as statisticians, among others, who have the necessary complementary expertise. In fact, this is yet another example of the importance of engaging in multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary collaborations. …

The Predictors of Parental Use of Corporal Punishment

Abstract: Corporal punishment has been the focus of considerable study over the past decade. Some recent research suggesting that the use of corporal punishment may have significant long‐term negative effects on children has prompted increasing exploration and interest in the issue. We used tobit regression analysis and data from the 2000 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine both the prevalence and the chronicity of spanking in a nationally representative sample of parents. Mother’s characteristics (e.g., age, education) and neighborhood context did not show a relationship with parental use of corporal punishment. Among parents who used corporal punishment, being Protestant had a relatively large relationship with its use. Although children’s externalizing behaviors had some association with parent’s propensity to spank, findings suggest that use of corporal punishment may be better understood as part of a constellation of behaviors relating to a parenting style. Further, findings indicate that it is easier to predict the incidence of corporal punishment than to predict its frequency of use.

Parental Expectations, Physical Punishment, and Violence Among Adolescents Who Score Positive on a Psychosocial Screening Test in Primary Care

We sought to examine the relationship between perceived and stated parental expectations regarding adolescents' use of violence, parental use of physical punishment as discipline, and young adolescents' violence-related attitudes and involvement. Surveys were completed by 134 youth and their parents attending 8 pediatric practices. All youth were 10 to 15 years of age and had scored positive on a psychosocial screening test. Multivariate analyses revealed that perceived parental disapproval of the use of violence was associated with a more prosocial attitude toward interpersonal peer violence and a decreased likelihood of physical fighting by the youth. Parental report of whether they would advise their child to use violence in a conflict situation (stated parental expectations) was not associated with the adolescents' attitudes toward interpersonal peer violence, intentions to fight, physical fighting, bullying, or violence victimization. Parental use of corporal punishment as a disciplining method was inversely associated with a prosocial attitude toward interpersonal peer violence among the youth and positively correlated with youths' intentions to fight and fighting, bullying, and violence victimization. Perceived parental disapproval of the use of violence may be an important protective factor against youth involvement in violence, and parental use of physical punishment is associated with both violence perpetration and victimization among youth. Parents should be encouraged to clearly communicate to their children how to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence and to model these skills themselves by avoiding the use of physical punishment.