Corporal Punishment of Children and Depression and Suicide in Adulthood (From Coercion and Punishment in Long Term Perspective, 1993, Joan McCord, ed.)

• NCJ Number: 141402
• Author(s): M A Straus
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 24 pages
• Sale Source: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Data were collected from telephone interviews with over 6,000 respondents who were 18 years or older, and were presently married, living as a man-woman couple, or who were a single parent with a child living in their home. The data were used to study the relationship between childhood corporal punishment and the incidence of depression and suicidal ideation in adulthood.

Abstract

A 7 x 2 analysis of covariance was used to avoid the confounding effect of risk factors which have been linked to depression. Four covariates were included in the analysis: socioeconomic status, heavy drinking, marital violence, and witnessing violence between parents. The findings showed that the association of corporal punishment to depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation is net of a number of variables known to be related to depression and suicidal thoughts. Women had a higher level of depressive symptoms than men, low socioeconomic status respondents had more depressive symptoms, and being in a violent marriage was also associated with stronger depressive symptoms. These results were valid notwithstanding the gender of the respondent, the gender of the parent inflicting the corporal punishment, and different scenarios of marital violence. 3 tables, 8 figures, 5 notes, and 30 references