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Sudo M, Won YQ, Chau WWY, Meaney MJ, Kee MZL, Chen H, Eriksson JG, Yap F, Rifkin-Graboi A, Tiemeier H, Setoh P. Physical discipline as a normative childhood experience in Singapore. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2023; 17:81. [PMID: 37386570 PMCID: PMC10311744 DOI: 10.1186/s13034-023-00632-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cultural normativeness theory posits that specific parenting behaviors can be interpreted as displays of appropriate parenting in contexts where they are deemed normative. Previous studies suggest high acceptance of physical discipline in Singapore, where strict parenting could be interpreted as care for the child. However, there is a lack of studies on the local prevalence and implications of physical discipline. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Singaporean children experiencing parental physical discipline, longitudinal changes in this prevalence, and how exposure to physical discipline relates to children's evaluation of their parents' parenting. METHODS Participants were 710 children with parental reports of physical discipline at one or more assessments at ages 4.5, 6, 9, and 11 years in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes birth cohort study. Parental reports of physical discipline were obtained using the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire or the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire across the four assessments. Child reports of their parents' care and control were obtained using the Parental Bonding Instrument for Children at the age 9 assessment. Prevalence was specified as being exposed to at least one physical discipline at any frequency. A generalized linear mixed model was performed to examine whether children's age predicted their exposure to physical discipline. Linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate whether children's exposure to physical discipline predicted their evaluation of their parents' parenting. RESULTS The prevalence of children experiencing at least one physical discipline was above 80% at all ages. There was a decrease in this prevalence from age 4.5 to 11 years (B = - 0.14, SE = 0.01, OR = 0.87, p < 0.001). The more frequent the paternal physical discipline children were exposed to, the more likely they were to report lower levels of care (B = - 1.74, SE = 0.66, p = 0.03) and higher levels of denial of psychological autonomy by fathers (B = 1.05, SE = 0.45, p = 0.04). Maternal physical discipline was not significantly associated with children's evaluation of their mothers' parenting (ps ≥ 0.53). CONCLUSIONS Physical discipline was a common experience among our Singaporean sample, consistent with the notion that strict parenting could be regarded as a form of care. However, exposure to physical discipline did not translate to children reporting their parents as caring, with paternal physical discipline being negatively associated with children's evaluations of paternal care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mioko Sudo
- Psychology Division, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 48 Nanyang Ave, Singapore, 639818, Singapore
| | - Ying Qing Won
- Psychology Division, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 48 Nanyang Ave, Singapore, 639818, Singapore
| | - Winnie W Y Chau
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, 9 Arts Link, Singapore, 117570, Singapore
| | - Michael J Meaney
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), 30 Medical Drive, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Singapore, 117609, Singapore
- Sackler Program for Epigenetics & Psychobiology, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875 Boulevard LaSalle, Montréal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875 Boulevard LaSalle, Montréal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Michelle Z L Kee
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), 30 Medical Drive, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Singapore, 117609, Singapore
| | - Helen Chen
- Department of Psychological Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
- Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Rd, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
| | - Johan Gunnar Eriksson
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), 30 Medical Drive, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Singapore, 117609, Singapore
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Human Potential Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Medical Dr, Singapore, 117597, Singapore
- Human Potential Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Medical Dr, Singapore, 117597, Singapore
- Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Tukholmankatu 8 B, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
- Public Health Research Program, Folkhälsan Research Center, Topeliuksenkatu 20, 00250, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Fabian Yap
- Department of Paediatrics, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
- Academic Medicine Department, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Rd, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 59 Nanyang Dr, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
| | - Anne Rifkin-Graboi
- Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore, 637616, Singapore
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Peipei Setoh
- Psychology Division, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 48 Nanyang Ave, Singapore, 639818, Singapore.
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Jun M, Lee SY, Shim TE. A study on the subjectivity of South Korean parents regarding corporal punishment in early childhood. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2023; 140:106193. [PMID: 37060691 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We conducted this study after South Korea abolished parental disciplinary rights in 2021. OBJECTIVE This study identifies the characteristics of parental perceptions regarding types of corporal punishment administered to children by discovering the in-depth subjective structure of perceptions. PARTICIPANTS We recruited 40 participants (parents with children aged two to six years) after posting a notice on the bulletin boards of infant nursing and education institutions in Seoul. METHODS The study employed Q methodology. The research procedure involved 40 Q-samples (selected from the Q-concourse) classified according to P-samples of 40 participants. We used the QUANL program to analyze data. RESULTS We categorized parents' perceptions into four types: removal (corporal punishment is wrong and should not be used), discipline (corporal punishment is a disciplinary method), trigger (certain triggers induce corporal punishment), and habit (corporal punishment occurs habitually). While all parents in the four types perceived corporal punishment as an action to avoid, stopping it in childcare settings was difficult. Some parents viewed it as necessary and revealed the importance of setting standards. Results showed that support measures (such as parental education and legal measures) are required to correct misconceptions and inaccurate knowledge about corporal punishment and create a quality, nurturing environment for children. CONCLUSIONS The findings provide meaningful data supporting measures to reduce parental corporal punishment that inhibits growth in early childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikyung Jun
- Department of Home Economics Education, Dongguk University, South Korea
| | - Song Yi Lee
- Department of Counselling and Coaching, Dongguk University, South Korea.
| | - Tae Eun Shim
- Competency Development Center, Dongguk University, South Korea
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Baniamin HM. Variations in the Acceptance of Parental Corporal Punishment of Children: What Matters? JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2022; 37:NP18006-NP18031. [PMID: 34330181 DOI: 10.1177/08862605211035856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This article tries to identify people's degree of acceptance of parental corporal punishment (CP) of children and the nature of the association of different variables, particularly the value variables with such acceptance. For this purpose, the study uses data from the World Values Survey 6 (2010-2014), which is a large survey of attitudes based on representative samples from 60 different countries (around 1,200 respondents from each). This study tested five hypotheses and two subhypotheses on individuals' acceptance of parental CP: effects of emancipative values (aspiration to autonomy and freedom), nonmasculine values, religiousness, people's dissatisfaction with life in general, and more specifically, dissatisfaction with financial and health conditions and national bans on CP. The findings show that the higher level presence of emancipative values and nonmasculine values are associated with lower support for CP. The study also finds that a number of sociodemographic variables affect the endorsement of CP; on the one hand, people with higher age and lower social classes (subjective) tend to express less support for CP, whereas on the other, people with no partners (divorced/separated/widowed/single) and men tend to express higher support for the use of parental CP. The identification of these associations can help us to develop more effective policies to address the problem of CP.
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Logan MW, Pare PP, Dulisse B. Parental Discipline and Child Psychosocial Outcomes in Iraq and Kurdistan: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Sample. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2022; 37:1223-1247. [PMID: 32456509 DOI: 10.1177/0886260520922343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Few empirical studies have been conducted on populations in the Middle-East, particularly in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, regarding the relationships between the type of discipline used by caregivers and its subsequent effect on children. Our analyses, which are based on data from the Iraq Multi-Cluster Survey 2018, replicate the prior work of scholars using Western samples, and suggest that variation in parental practices pertaining to the discipline of children is a robust predictor of several negative psychosocial outcomes among Iraqi and Kurdish youth. Specifically, we found that children who were subjected to various forms of violent physical discipline, psychological aggression, and neglectful parenting were more likely to exhibit an array of symptoms of psychosocial disorder, relative to measures of adequate parenting. Our analyses also provide strong support for the presence of comorbid psychosocial outcomes among Iraqi and Kurdish youth that stem from differences in the practice of parental discipline. The results of the current study are discussed regarding both theoretical and practical applications. The study's limitations are also addressed and suggestions for future research on the discipline-outcome nexus are given.
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Heilmann A, Mehay A, Watt RG, Kelly Y, Durrant JE, van Turnhout J, Gershoff ET. Physical punishment and child outcomes: a narrative review of prospective studies. Lancet 2021; 398:355-364. [PMID: 34197808 PMCID: PMC8612122 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00582-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Physical punishment is increasingly viewed as a form of violence that harms children. This narrative review summarises the findings of 69 prospective longitudinal studies to inform practitioners and policy makers about physical punishment's outcomes. Our review identified seven key themes. First, physical punishment consistently predicts increases in child behaviour problems over time. Second, physical punishment is not associated with positive outcomes over time. Third, physical punishment increases the risk of involvement with child protective services. Fourth, the only evidence of children eliciting physical punishment is for externalising behaviour. Fifth, physical punishment predicts worsening behaviour over time in quasi-experimental studies. Sixth, associations between physical punishment and detrimental child outcomes are robust across child and parent characteristics. Finally, there is some evidence of a dose-response relationship. The consistency of these findings indicates that physical punishment is harmful to children and that policy remedies are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Heilmann
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Anita Mehay
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Richard G Watt
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Yvonne Kelly
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Joan E Durrant
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | | | - Elizabeth T Gershoff
- Population Research Center and Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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