Parents’ Professional Sources of Advice Regarding Child Discipline and Their Use of Corporal Punishment

Abstract

Parents (n=500) were surveyed about which professional groups they were most likely to seek and follow advice from regarding child discipline as well as their use of corporal punishment (CP). Nearly half of parents reported that they were most likely to seek child discipline advice from pediatricians (48%), followed by religious leaders (21%) and mental health professionals (18%). Parents that sought advice from religious leaders (vs. pediatricians) had nearly 4 times the odds of reporting use of CP. Parents reported they were more likely to follow the advice of pediatricians than any other professional; however, Black parents were as likely to follow the advice of religious leaders as that of pediatricians. Pediatricians play a central role in advising parents about child discipline. Efforts to engage pediatricians in providing violence prevention counseling should continue. Increased efforts are needed to engage other professionals, especially religious leaders, in providing such advice to parents.

Perceived Social Norms, Expectations, and Attitudes toward Corporal Punishment among an Urban Community Sample of Parents

“…The strongest predictor of parents' positive attitudes toward CP use was their perception that the professional they were most likely to turn to for advice about child discipline approved of CP. Within this sample, we reported elsewhere 48 that 48% of these parents selected their pediatrician as the professional they were most likely to turn to for such advice; next most common were religious leaders (21%) and mental health professionals (18%). Similar results were found in a mostly White sample from Minnesota: spankers were more likely to perceive that their sources of advice about discipline recommend the use of CP, whereas non-spankers perceived that their sources opposed its use.…”

“…Parents' most common responses were child's doctor, religious leader, or mental health professional. 48 Next, the parents were asked, "Do you think your [response to prior question] would strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of the following statements about spanking?" The same ATS items were used and adjusted slightly to be about spanking in general (e.g., "Spanking is a normal part of parenting" and "When all is said and done, spanking is harmful for children").…”

Using an African American Lens to Explore the Intersection of Race, Gender, and Intimate Partner Violence

“…In an effort to protect their children they may use what some consider corporal punishment, which is culturally normative in some African American communities, and is not viewed as child abuse because there is no intention to cause injury to the child. Rather, the intention is to inflict pain as a way of correcting and controlling behavior, it is used as a form of conditioning (Nomaguchi & House, 2013;Rodriguez, McKay, & Bannon, 2008;Taylor, Moeller, Hamvas, & Rice, 2013). Generally, African American mothers acknowledge the existence of child abuse and do not endorse it, but culturally child abuse is seen as occurring when the child is injured and or neglected, not giving a child a spanking (Franklin & James, 2015;Nomaguchi & House, 2013;Rodriguez, McKay, & Bannon, 2008;Taylor, Moeller, Hamvas, & Rice, 2013).…”

“…Rather, the intention is to inflict pain as a way of correcting and controlling behavior, it is used as a form of conditioning (Nomaguchi & House, 2013;Rodriguez, McKay, & Bannon, 2008;Taylor, Moeller, Hamvas, & Rice, 2013). Generally, African American mothers acknowledge the existence of child abuse and do not endorse it, but culturally child abuse is seen as occurring when the child is injured and or neglected, not giving a child a spanking (Franklin & James, 2015;Nomaguchi & House, 2013;Rodriguez, McKay, & Bannon, 2008;Taylor, Moeller, Hamvas, & Rice, 2013). That African American women reported lower occurrences of child abuse as children in the study is not surprising given what they have been conditioned culturally to view as abuse and by that definition corporal punishment does not constitute abuse.…”

“…Conversely, African American children necessitate stricter discipline due to their subjugated status, so their parents will take more stringent corrective steps because they worry if they do not then society will, which could result in their incarceration or death (Avison, Ali, & Walters, 2007;Chao & Kanatsu, 2008;Margolin & Gordis, 2003;Nomaguchi & House, 2013;Taylor et al, 2009). Some studies have found that corporal punishment, a method of discipline that has been criminalized and criticized, is seen as a cultural norm widely used and accepted by many ethnic and racial minorities (Nomaguchi & House, 2013;Rodriguez, McKay, & Bannon, 2008;Taylor, Moeller, Hamvas, & Rice, 2013). Given the compounding nature of maternal stressors such as poverty, crime, victimization, lack of resources, and lack of structural supports (Dorsey et al, 2007), it seems likely that, through the invalidation of cultural norms, racial and ethnic minorities are exposed to additional parental stressors due to the added burden of conforming to societal norms associated with parenting and discipline in particular.…”