NCJ Number
232428
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 34 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2010 Pages: 639-646
Date Published
September 2010
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the intergenerational cycle of violence focused on whether there was a link between parents' approval and use of corporal punishment (CP) and their children's approval of hitting and spanking among 102 families with children ages 3-7.
Abstract
The study found that children whose parents approved of and used CP were more likely to endorse hitting as a strategy for resolving interpersonal conflict with peers and siblings. Parents' frequent spanking of their children was the strongest predictor of children's acceptance of aggressive problem solving, above and beyond parental acceptance and experience of CP, as well as familial demographics. Parents who experienced frequent CP during their childhoods perceived its use as acceptable and frequently spanked their children. These children, in turn, advocated that spanking be used as a disciplinary method and preferred aggressive conflict-resolution strategies with peers and siblings. The study concludes that when parents use CP, it teaches their children that hitting is an acceptable means of responding to peers' and siblings' behaviors they do not like. The authors recommend that practitioners encourage parents not to use CP as a disciplinary method, which could lead to a change in the attitudes and behaviors of the next generation of parents. Study participants consisted of 102 families. Parents were assessed on their reported practices and beliefs about corporal punishment, using three self-report measures. Fifty-four boys and 48 girls were interviewed by researchers in order to assess their approval of spanking and hitting. 5 tables and 24 references