More than half of all reported cases of child abuse in black families as well as among other groups may be related to the family's child-disciplining practices. Some form of child disciplining is usually viewed as necessary in responsible parenting, but how to discipline the child is a controversial issue. The parent's motive for committing an act is the factor that distinguishes general child abuse from child-abusing discipline. Almost all black families understand the importance of discipline, but many black parents are unaware of the risks of certain types of discipline. Socioeconomic deprivation and the frustrations of living in a pervasively racist society are two stress factors that strongly affect black families. Black families also carry the legacies of the slave experience and black experiences in the rural south, both of which involved harsh punishment as a survival strategy. Interventions needed to interrupt the patterns of harsh discipline in black families include the development of community self-help strategies in the black community; education in parenting; and the provision of responsive, culture-sensitive services by family service workers. 33 references.