How to Convince Parents to Stop Spanking Their Children

Play Nicely: Evaluation of a Brief Intervention to Reduce Physical Punishment and the Beliefs That Justify It

The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of the Play Nicely brief intervention in diminishing both the utilization of physical punishment and the beliefs that endorse such behavior among a sample of Colombian parents with children aged 2 to 6. Utilizing a quasi-experimental design, the research included pretest and posttest evaluations and involved both an intervention group (n = 37) and a control group (n = 29). The assessment tools used were a scale to measure beliefs about the positive impacts of physical punishment and the Physical Assault subscale of the Spanish version of the Conflict Tactics Scale Parent-Child (CTSPC). Parents participated in a single online session, which offered eight interactive options and lasted 10 min. The results highlighted a high prevalence of physical punishment within the sample (81.8%) and established statistically significant correlations between the justification of physical punishment and its actual use. Approximately one month following the intervention, there was a significant reduction in the employment of physical punishment among the intervention group (p = 0.009), and a notable decrease in the belief that "Punishment is the best alternative to control children's behavior" (p = 0.010) was observed. Consequently, the Play Nicely intervention proved effective in curtailing the use of physical punishment among parents of young children, demonstrating both efficacy and cost-effectiveness within a brief timeframe.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validity study of the "Play Nicely Program: The Healthy Discipline Handbook" for use in Brazil

OBJECTIVE

to describe the translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validity process of the "Play Nicely Program: The Healthy Discipline Handbook" for use in Brazil.

METHODS

a methodological study that followed the translation, back-translation, expert committee assessment, and pre-test steps. The Content Validity Index (CVI) was calculated for both the judge population and the pre-test population. Four translators, seven expert judges in the field of child health and thirty participants in the pre-test, including parents, teachers and healthcare professionals, participated in the study.

RESULTS

in experts' analysis (98.4%), a value of 100% of adequate assessments was obtained, and in the target population's analysis (89.5%), there were 100% of adequate assessments. In both analyses, suggested adaptations were made.

CONCLUSIOS

cross-cultural adaptation and content validity into Brazilian Portuguese of the "Play Nicely Program: The Healthy Discipline Handbook" were considered adequate for application in the target population.

The association between perceived injunctive norms toward corporal punishment, parenting support, and risk for child physical abuse

The use of corporal punishment (CP) is a strong risk factor for many poor outcomes for children including child maltreatment. The use of CP occurs within social contexts which are important to understand. Although it is known that perceived social norms regarding CP are related to its use, the specific role that a mother's primary support person plays in influencing attitudes toward and use of CP remains unknown. The current study assessed linkages between maternal perceived social support in parenting and perceived injunctive norms of CP from her primary source of support, with maternal attitudes toward and use of CP. Survey data were collected from female primary caregivers (N = 436) of children age 2 to 7 years (mean age = 3.7) enrolled in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) clinics in Southeastern Louisiana. Most frequently, the biological father of the child (37.9%) and the maternal grandmother of the child (24.2%) were identified as the participant's primary source of social support in parenting. Perceived injunctive norms of this support person toward CP use were significantly and positively associated with attitudes toward, AOR = 5.97, 95% CI = [4.04, 8.82], and use of CP, AOR = 3.77, 95% CI = [2.55, 5.59]. However, perceived social support was not associated with these outcomes and also did not moderate these associations. Findings suggest that efforts to reduce maternal risk for child physical abuse and use of CP must include the mother's primary source of social support if they are to be successful.