U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

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
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