NCJ Number
210640
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2005 Pages: 283-292
Date Published
August 2005
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study explored the association between parental use of corporal punishment and antisocial behavior in children.
Abstract
The use of corporal punishment by parents is widespread, yet little is known about the consequences for children of this type of punishment. Some researchers have suggested that parental use of corporal punishment is associated with increased behavior problems in children. The current study drew on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to probe the effects of corporal punishment on children. Participants were 6,912 children who have been followed since 1986; 6 waves of data from 1988 though 1998 were analyzed for the current study. Measures included children’s demographic characteristics, poverty status, punishment techniques, and children’s level of antisocial behavior. Results of hierarchical linear analyses indicate that parental use of corporal punishment is related to both children’s initial antisocial behavior and to changes in antisocial behavior. The findings varied slightly by gender, with girls having less deleterious antisocial outcomes than boys, but did not differ by race. Future research should continue to probe this issue using data from the National Survey of Families and Households as well as other samples. Tables, references