Corporal Punishment and Kids: How Do Parent Support and Gender Influence Child Adjustment?

• NCJ Number: 216166
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 197-207
• Author(s): Felicity W.K. Harper; Amy M. Brown; Ileana Arias; Gene Brody
• Date Published: April 2006
• Length: 11 pages
• Grant Number(s): AA09224
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the impact of corporal punishment in the context of parental support on two different child outcomes: child depression and externalizing behavior.

Abstract

Results of this investigation indicate that corporal punishment was associated with more depression and child aggression, and parental support was associated with more positive outcomes. The impact of parent support on child outcomes differed, however, depending on the gender of the punishing and supportive parent. For mothers, their use of physical punishment was associated with more child depression regardless of how much support fathers provided to children. High levels of father support appeared to be protective against externalizing outcomes for children who experienced mother corporal punishment. High mother support also appears to serve a protective function for children; however the results suggest that the positive influence of maternal support is limited. High mother support only buffered children from depression at low levels of low father corporal punishment. As father corporal punishment increased, child depression increased even if mother support was high suggesting that contrary to expectations, high mother support does not buffer children from the negative effects of father corporal punishment. The results suggest that mother and father support may serve different functions in child outcomes. Corporal punishment is a widely used, normative form of discipline in the United States. Corporal punishment can have long-lasting negative effects on children’s psychological adjustment and is linked to negative outcomes later in life, such as depression, suicidal ideation, problem drinking, child abuse, and wife abuse. This study expanded on previous findings by examining the impact of corporal punishment in the context of parental support. Participants in the study consisted of 233 children and their parents who participated in a longitudinal study on adolescent alcohol use and family processes. Tables, figures, and references