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Fleckman JM, Taylor CA, Gershoff E, Finkelhor D, Holden GW, Klika B. Levels of support for legislative bans to end physical punishment in schools and homes in a national sample. Public Health 2023; 222:60-65. [PMID: 37517162 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Physical punishment of children remains quite common and yet has only negative effects on children's health, making it an important public health problem. This study was designed to assess positive attitudes about and perceived normative support for the use of physical punishment with children, as well as attitudes regarding prohibition of physical punishment in homes and schools. STUDY DESIGN This was a cross-sectional national survey of a diverse sample of US adults (N = 3049). METHODS This survey, conducted in Fall 2020, assessed attitudes and perceived norms regarding physical punishment use using continuous measures as well as support and perceived support for policies prohibiting physical punishment in homes and schools in the United States. RESULTS Respondents who had positive attitudes toward physical punishment (39%) and who perceived normative support for physical punishment (41%) were not in the majority. While 65% agreed that there should be a federal ban on physical punishment in public schools, only 18% perceived that most US adults would support such a ban. Persons who were older (aged ≥55 years), men, living in the southern United States, or who themselves were hit more frequently as children were significantly less likely than their counterparts to support a federal ban in schools. CONCLUSIONS Based on a national sample, there is strong support for a federal ban on physical punishment in US schools; yet this normative belief is unrecognized. Social norms campaigns should capitalize on this pluralistic ignorance to increase mobilization toward policy reform and reduction of harm to children through bans of physical punishment in public schools.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Fleckman
- Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
| | - C A Taylor
- Boston College School of Social Work, Boston, MA, USA
| | - E Gershoff
- University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - D Finkelhor
- University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - G W Holden
- Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - B Klika
- Prevent Child Abuse America, Chicago, IL, USA
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Haddock CK, Jitnarin N, Caetano R, Jahnke SA, Hollerbach BS, Kaipust CM, Poston WS. Norms about Alcohol Use among US Firefighters. Saf Health Work 2022; 13:387-393. [PMID: 36579011 PMCID: PMC9772477 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Problem drinking is a perennial concern in the US fire service. A large literature has documented the importance of addressing alcohol norms in intervention research. The purpose of this study was to explore alcohol norms in a national cohort of firefighters (FFs) to inform intervention development in this occupational group. Methods Data were from a national online survey of career and volunteer FFs (N = 674). Participants were recruited through national fire service listservs and a database of FFs who had agreed to be contacted for research. Results When asked about "acceptable" levels of alcohol consumption, FFs on average suggested levels which exceeded public health guidelines. Further, approximately half of career and volunteer FFs believed that, at least under some circumstances, drinking until intoxicated was normative. When asked how long should elapse between a FFs last drink and reporting for duty, the average suggested lag was 11.2 hours (sd = 4.6). However, among male volunteer FFs who reported heavy drinking, the average was 6.68 hours (sd = 4.77). Conclusions Given the high prevalence of heavy and binge drinking in the fire service, it is not surprising that the alcohol norms found in this study were consistent with a culture of drinking. Participants' reports of alcohol use among their peers were consistent with the actual prevalence of problem drinking. Thus, education and prevention efforts in this occupation should focus on changing norms about alcohol use, including linking heavy drinking to other health and safety issues they face.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher K. Haddock
- Center for Fire, Rescue, & EMS Health Research, NDRI-USA, 1920 West 143rd Street, Suite 120, Leawood, KS 66224, USA,Corresponding author. Center for Fire, Rescue and EMS Health Research, NDRI-USA, Inc., 1920 West 143rd Street, Suite 120, Leawood, KS 66224, USA.
| | - Nattinee Jitnarin
- Center for Fire, Rescue, & EMS Health Research, NDRI-USA, 1920 West 143rd Street, Suite 120, Leawood, KS 66224, USA
| | - Raul Caetano
- Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 601, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
| | - Sara A. Jahnke
- Center for Fire, Rescue, & EMS Health Research, NDRI-USA, 1920 West 143rd Street, Suite 120, Leawood, KS 66224, USA
| | - Brittany S. Hollerbach
- Center for Fire, Rescue, & EMS Health Research, NDRI-USA, 1920 West 143rd Street, Suite 120, Leawood, KS 66224, USA
| | - Christopher M. Kaipust
- Center for Fire, Rescue, & EMS Health Research, NDRI-USA, 1920 West 143rd Street, Suite 120, Leawood, KS 66224, USA
| | - Walker S.C. Poston
- Center for Fire, Rescue, & EMS Health Research, NDRI-USA, 1920 West 143rd Street, Suite 120, Leawood, KS 66224, USA
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Trangenstein P, Wall P, Jernigan D. Collateral damage from college drinking: A conceptual framework for alcohol's harms to others among US college students. Subst Use Misuse 2019; 54:1297-1308. [PMID: 31008671 PMCID: PMC6510638 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2019.1573836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A growing literature shows that drinkers can harm bystanders through alcohol-related harms to others (HTO). The burden of HTO is particularly consequential in college environments, where heavy alcohol consumption and related harms are highly prevalent. A key limitation to the current literature on HTO among college students is that the determinants of HTO in college settings are not well-described. OBJECTIVE This article presents an evidence- and theory-based conceptual framework of HTO among United States college students. METHODS This study used a literature review in Embase, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Web of Science to determine the prevalence of HTO among college students and literature gaps. Researchers supplemented college HTO literature with broader HTO literature to develop a conceptual framework. RESULTS Prevalence estimates for HTO among college populations range from 59% to 84%. Literature on HTO among college students is mostly confined to brief sections of larger surveys. The college HTO literature lacks the level of detail necessary to support methodologically rigorous research. CONCLUSIONS HTO are prevalent among college populations but their prevalence and etiology are not well understood. This likely leads to systematic undercounting of the impact of alcohol in college settings, exacerbating the "translation" gap between what the research says is effective and what colleges actually do. Better understanding of HTO mechanisms through which drinkers harm those around them would inform alcohol research and policy on college campuses, and lead to more accurate assessments of the degree to which stronger alcohol policies could benefit all students, regardless of their drinking patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Payton Wall
- Johns Hopkins University, Public Health Studies Department, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - David Jernigan
- Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston, Massachusetts
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