NCJ Number
227386
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 33 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2009 Pages: 269-277
Date Published
May 2009
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study determined the prevalence of corporal and psychological punishment of children by parents being served by a pediatric clinic; and it assessed the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and stability of a brief screen for harsh punishment.
Abstract
Using the parent screening questionnaire (PSQ), 7 percent of the parents of infants and 32 percent of the parents of toddlers/preschoolers reported that their children were difficult to manage or needed to be hit or spanked. On the Parent-Child Conflict Tactic Scale (CTSPC), 14 percent of the infants were found to have experienced physical assault, and 21 percent had experienced psychological aggression. For older children, subscales were modified in order to exclude common discipline measures, resulting in 20 percent experiencing physical assault and 19 percent experiencing psychological aggression. Sensitivities for the PSQ were relatively poor for infants, but moderate for older children. Specificities were good, and stability was adequate. The study concluded that the PSQ can be used to screen out parents who are not using harsh discipline with their children. The PSQ has variable utility for identifying families that are using harsh punishment. Until the measure can be further refined, counseling on the adverse effects of harsh discipline should be given to all parents. Two clinic days were assigned to the intervention condition, and 2 other clinic days were assigned to the control condition. On intervention days, English-speaking parents waiting for their children (under 6 years old) to receive a health supervision visit were invited by triage nurses to complete the PSQ. On intervention days, 382 eligible parents agreed to participate in the study protocol. Comparisons were made between parents' responses on the PSQ and on the CTSPC. 5 tables, 1 figure, and 38 references