Corporal Punishment and Youth Externalizing Behavior in Santiago, Chile

Overview

Journal Child Abuse Negl

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2012 Jul 7

PMID 22766372

Citations 15

Authors

Julie Ma

Yoonsun Han

Andrew Grogan-Kaylor

Jorge Delva

Marcela Castillo

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: Corporal punishment is still widely practiced around the globe, despite the large body of child development research that substantiates its short- and long-term consequences. Within this context, this paper examined the relationship between parental use of corporal punishment and youth externalizing behavior with a Chilean sample to add to the growing empirical evidence concerning the potential relationship between increased corporal punishment and undesirable youth outcomes across cultures.

Methods: Analysis was based on 919 adolescents in Santiago, Chile. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the extent to which parents' use of corporal punishment and positive family measures were associated with youth externalizing behavior. Furthermore, the associations between self-reported externalizing behavior and infrequent, as well as frequent, use of corporal punishment were investigated to understand how varying levels of parental use of corporal punishment were differently related to youth outcomes.

Results: Both mothers' and fathers' use of corporal punishment were associated with greater youth externalizing behavior. Additionally, increases in positive parenting practices, such as parental warmth and family involvement, were met with decreases in youth externalizing behavior when controlling for youth demographics, family socioeconomic status, and parents' use of corporal punishment. Finally, both infrequent and frequent use of corporal punishment were positively associated with higher youth problem behaviors, though frequent corporal punishment had a stronger relationship with externalizing behavior than did infrequent corporal punishment.

Conclusions: Parental use of corporal punishment, even on an occasional basis, is associated with greater externalizing behavior for youth while a warm and involving family environment may protect youth from serious problem behaviors. Therefore, findings of this study add to the growing evidence concerning the negative consequences of corporal punishment for youth outcomes.

Citing Articles

Is childhood lying shaped by callous-unemotional traits or does lie-telling make children more callous-unemotional? A longitudinal between- and within-person perspective.

Gouwy M, Franssens R, Roets A, De Clercq B Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024; 33(10):3541-3550.

PMID: 38507051 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-024-02398-7.

Researchers Deserve a Better Critique: Response to.

Holden G, Grogan-Kaylor A, Durrant J, Gershoff E Marriage Fam Rev. 2024; 53(5):465-490.

PMID: 38288142 PMC: 10824463. DOI: 10.1080/01494929.2017.1308899.

Neighborhood and parenting both matter: The role of neighborhood collective efficacy and maternal spanking in early behavior problems.

Ma J Child Youth Serv Rev. 2023; 70:250-260.

PMID: 37275461 PMC: 10236900. DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.09.028.

Adverse childhood experiences, parenting, and socioeconomic status: Associations with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescence.

Anderson A, Siciliano R, Henry L, Watson K, Gruhn M, Kuhn T Child Abuse Negl. 2022; 125:105493.

PMID: 35091303 PMC: 8826588. DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105493.

Observing Change Over Time in Strength-Based Parenting and Subjective Wellbeing for Pre-teens and Teens.

Waters L, Loton D, Grace D, Jacques-Hamilton R, Zyphur M Front Psychol. 2019; 10:2273.

PMID: 31649593 PMC: 6795758. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02273.

References

Straus M, Kantor G . Corporal punishment of adolescents by parents: a risk factor in the epidemiology of depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, child abuse, and wife beating. Adolescence. 1994; 29(115):543-61. View

Gershoff E, Lansford J, Sexton H, Davis-Kean P, Sameroff A . Longitudinal links between spanking and children's externalizing behaviors in a national sample of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American families. Child Dev. 2012; 83(3):838-43. PMC: 7988802. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01732.x. View

Rudatsikira E, Muula A, Siziya S . Prevalence and correlates of physical fighting among school-going adolescents in Santiago, Chile. Braz J Psychiatry. 2008; 30(3):197-202. DOI: 10.1590/s1516-44462008000300004. View

Straus M, Stewart J . Corporal punishment by American parents: national data on prevalence, chronicity, severity, and duration, in relation to child and family characteristics. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2001; 2(2):55-70. DOI: 10.1023/a:1021891529770. View

Vargas N, Lopez D, Perez P, Zuniga P, Toro G, Ciocca P . Parental attitude and practice regarding physical punishment of school children in Santiago de Chile. Child Abuse Negl. 1995; 19(9):1077-82. DOI: 10.1016/0145-2134(95)00069-k. View

Runyan D, Shankar V, Hassan F, Hunter W, Jain D, Paula C . International variations in harsh child discipline. Pediatrics. 2010; 126(3):e701-11. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2008-2374. View

Benjet C, Kazdin A . Spanking children: the controversies, findings, and new directions. Clin Psychol Rev. 2003; 23(2):197-224. DOI: 10.1016/s0272-7358(02)00206-4. View

Ivanovic D, Leiva B, Perez H, Olivares M, Diaz N, Urrutia M . Head size and intelligence, learning, nutritional status and brain development. Head, IQ, learning, nutrition and brain. Neuropsychologia. 2004; 42(8):1118-31. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2003.11.022. View

Grogan-Kaylor A . Corporal punishment and the growth trajectory of children's antisocial behavior. Child Maltreat. 2005; 10(3):283-92. DOI: 10.1177/1077559505277803. View

10.

Riley A, Forrest C, Starfield B, Green B, Kang M, Ensminger M . Reliability and validity of the adolescent health profile-types. Med Care. 1998; 36(8):1237-48. DOI: 10.1097/00005650-199808000-00011. View

11.

Lozoff B, De Andraca I, Castillo M, Smith J, Walter T, Pino P . Behavioral and developmental effects of preventing iron-deficiency anemia in healthy full-term infants. Pediatrics. 2003; 112(4):846-54. View

12.

Lippold M, Greenberg M, Feinberg M . A dyadic approach to understanding the relationship of maternal knowledge of youths' activities to youths' problem behavior among rural adolescents. J Youth Adolesc. 2010; 40(9):1178-91. PMC: 3265135. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-010-9595-5. View

13.

Gahagan S, Yu S, Kaciroti N, Castillo M, Lozoff B . Linear and ponderal growth trajectories in well-nourished, iron-sufficient infants are unimpaired by iron supplementation. J Nutr. 2009; 139(11):2106-12. PMC: 2762151. DOI: 10.3945/jn.108.100735. View

14.

Alvarez M, MUZZO S, Ivanovic D . [Scale for measurement of socioeconomic level, in the health area]. Rev Med Chil. 1985; 113(3):243-9. View

15.

Riley A, Green B, Forrest C, Starfield B, Kang M, ENSMINGER M . A taxonomy of adolescent health: development of the adolescent health profile-types. Med Care. 1998; 36(8):1228-36. DOI: 10.1097/00005650-199808000-00010. View

16.

Gershoff E . Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: a meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychol Bull. 2002; 128(4):539-79. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.128.4.539. View

17.

Roussos A, Francis K, Zoubou V, Kiprianos S, Prokopiou A, Richardson C . The standardization of Achenbach's Youth Self-Report in Greece in a national sample of high school students. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2001; 10(1):47-53. DOI: 10.1007/s007870170046. View

18.

Gershoff E, Grogan-Kaylor A, Lansford J, Chang L, Zelli A, Deater-Deckard K . Parent discipline practices in an international sample: associations with child behaviors and moderation by perceived normativeness. Child Dev. 2010; 81(2):487-502. PMC: 2888480. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01409.x. View

19.

Taylor C, Manganello J, Lee S, Rice J . Mothers' spanking of 3-year-old children and subsequent risk of children's aggressive behavior. Pediatrics. 2010; 125(5):e1057-65. PMC: 5094178. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009-2678. View

20.

Straus M, Sugarman D . Spanking by parents and subsequent antisocial behavior of children. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997; 151(8):761-7. DOI: 10.1001/archpedi.1997.02170450011002. View