NCJ Number
165192
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1997) Pages: 99-112
Date Published
1997
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether mothers who were also caregivers of elderly or dependent family members were more likely to resort to physical discipline than other members using data from the National Survey of Families and Households.
Abstract
Respondents who answered questions regarding a "focal" child aged 1-11 years were included in the analysis. The resulting subsample consisted of 3,771 individuals, 1,322 males and 2,449 females. The two dependent variables were whether spanking was used as discipline during the past week and how often the child was spanked. The framework of the analysis was drawn from frustration-aggression theory and a family systems perspective. It was found that caregivers were more likely to spank their children than noncaregivers. Among those who spanked, however, caregivers were somewhat less prone to frequent spankings than noncaregivers. Data also suggested that care for adults outside the household was related to the use and frequency of spankings. The authors conclude that caregiving-related stresses may serve as a trigger that leads mothers who do not normally spank their children to occasional spankings and that caregiving responsibility appears to be related to expressive rather than instrumental violence. 44 references and 3 tables