- "Spanking in the home and children's subsequent aggression toward kindergarten peers."<br>
- Strassberg, Zvi; Dodge, Kenneth A; Pettit, Gregory S; Bates, John E.<br>
- Development and Psychopathology. Vol 6(3) Sum 1994, 445-461.<br>
- Examined the relation between maternal and parental spanking and other physical punishment (PN) practices and children's subsequent aggression (AG) toward peers, while controlling for SES. Ss were 273 children entering kindergarten and their parents. Parental PN behavior over the preceding 12 mo was assessed using a modified version of the Conflict Tactics Scales. Approximately 6 mo after parental assessment, direct observations were made of children's AG toward peers. Findings are consistent with a model of socialization in which parental use of physical PN is positively correlated with children's subsequent AG toward peers. Spanked children showed AG toward peers more than nonspanked children but less than children with violent parents.<br><br>
- "Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: A meta-analytic and theoretical review."<br>
- Gershoff, Elizabeth Thompson.<br>
- Psychological Bulletin. Vol 128(4) Jul 2002, 539-579.<br>
- Although the merits of parents using corporal punishment to discipline children have been argued for decades, a thorough understanding of whether and how corporal punishment affects children has not been reached. Toward this end, the author first presents the results of meta-analyses of the association between parental corporal punishment and 11 child behaviors and experiences. Parental corporal punishment was associated with all child constructs, including higher levels of immediate compliance and aggression and lower levels of moral internalization and mental health. The author then presents a process-context model to explain how parental corporal punishment might cause particular child outcomes and considers alternative explanations. The article concludes by identifying 7 major remaining issues for future research.<br><br>
- "Parenting practices and child disruptive behavior problems in early elementary school."<br>
- Stormshak, Elizabeth A; Bierman, Karen L; McMahon, Robert J; Lengua, Liliana J; Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group.<br>
- Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. Vol 29(1) Mar 2000, 17-29.<br>
- Examined the hypothesis that distinct parenting practices may be associated with type and profile of a child's disruptive behavior problems (e.g., oppositional, aggressive, hyperactive). Parents of 631 behaviorally disruptive 1st graders described the extent to which they experienced warm and involved interactions with their children and the extent to which their discipline strategies were inconsistent and punitive and involved spanking and physical aggression. As expected from a developmental perspective, parenting practices that included punitive interactions were associated with elevated rates of all child disruptive behavior problems. Low levels of warm involvement were particularly characteristic of parents of children who showed elevated levels of oppositional behaviors. Physically aggressive parenting was linked more specifically with child aggression. In general, parenting practices contributed more to the prediction of oppositional and aggressive behavior problems than to hyperactive behavior problems, and parenting influences were fairly consistent across ethnic groups and sex.<br><br>
- "Impulsive corporal punishment by mothers and antisocial behavior and impulsiveness of children."<br>
- Straus, Murray A; Mouradian, Vera E.<br>
- Behavioral Sciences & the Law. Vol 16(3) Sum 1998, 353-374.<br>
- Examined whether corporal punishment (CP), such as spanking or slapping a child for purposes of correcting misbehavior, and impulsiveness of CP is associated with antisocial behavior (ASB) and impulsiveness by the child. The data were obtained through interviews with 933 mothers (mean age 37 yrs) of children aged 2-14 yrs. Results indicated that the more CP experienced by the child, the greater the tendency for the child to engage in ASB and to act impulsively. These relationships hold even after controlling for family SES, the age and sex of the child, nurturance by the mother, and the level of noncorporal interventions by the mother. When CP was carried out impulsively, it was most strongly related to child impulsiveness and ASB; when CP was done when the mother was under control, the relationship to child behavior problems was reduced but still present. In view of the fact that there is a high risk of losing control when engaged in CP, even by parents who are not usually impulsive, and the fact that impulsive CP is so strongly associated with child behavior problems, this study suggests that CP is an important risk factor for children developing a pattern of impulsive and antisocial behavior which, in turn, may contribute to the level of violence and other crime in society.<br><br>
- "A correlational analysis of parental conflict resolution practices and 4- and 5-year-old children's interpersonal problem-solving skills and verbal abilities in a preschool setting."<br>
- Hall, Elizabeth Christine.<br>
- Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences. Vol 55(12-A), Jun 1995, pp. 3785.<br>
- A variety of physical and verbal intervention techniques exist for use with children. Caregivers frequently rely on aggressive modes such as physical punishment; however, the immediate impact of these practices on young children's interpersonal problem solving and language is unknown. The intent of this research was to assess the relationship between the resolution tactics of parents and the interpersonal problem-solving skills and verbal abilities of children, and to investigate the confounding influence of family income and gender on the relationship. Guiding this research was the thesis that the resolution tactics used by a primary caregiver provide a model of problem-solving for the recipient child. Physically aggressive tactics, such as spanking or slapping, rely minimally on the use of positive effective language as a problem-solving mode and maximally on aggressive means. Tactics using reasoning emphasize the use of language as a problem-solving strategy. Data were collected on 43 upper-income families, including 70 caregivers and 41 male and female preschool students. Measures included the Conflict Tactics Scale, the Test of Early Language Development-2, the Behavioral Interpersonal Problem-Solving test, the Standardized Critical Situations test, and a demographics questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Spearman and Pearson correlations. Statistically significant results revealed that children whose parents use physically aggressive means of conflict resolution were more aggressive and negative in their own problem solving. When parents used verbally oriented tactics, children generated more object obtainment solutions. No statistically significant relationships were noted between parents' tactics and children's language abilities or between language and problem solving. Confounding variables of gender and income had no effect on the relationships. Descriptive analysis showed that girls used positive verbal approaches to problem solving and boys used non.
