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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
International variations in harsh child discipline
Pediatrics, Volume 126, No. 3, Year 2010
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Description
BACKGROUND: Although the history of recognition of child abuse in Europe and North America extends over 40 years, recognition and data are lacking in other parts of the world. Cultural differences in child-rearing complicate cross-cultural studies of abuse. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain rates of harsh and less-harsh parenting behavior in population-based samples. METHODS: We used parallel surveys of parental discipline of children in samples of mothers in Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Philippines, and the United States. Data were collected between 1998 and 2003. The instrument used was a modification of the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale, along with a study-developed survey of demographic characteristics and other parent and child variables. Women (N = 14 239) from 19 communities in 6 countries were surveyed. We interviewed mothers aged 15 to 49 years (18-49 years in the United States) who had a child younger than 18 years in her home. Sample selection involved either random sampling or systematic sampling within randomly selected blocks or neighborhoods. RESULTS: Nearly all parents used nonviolent discipline and verbal or psychological punishment. Physical punishment was used in at least 55% of the families. Spanking rates (with open hand on buttocks) ranged from a low of 15% in an educated community in India to a high of 76% in a Philippine community. Similarly, there was a wide range in the rates of children who were hit with objects (9%-74% [median: 39%]) or beaten by their parents (0.1%-28.5%). Extremely harsh methods of physical punishment, such as burning or smothering, were rare in all countries. It is concerning that ≥20% of parents in 9 communities admitted shaking children younger than 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: Physical and verbal punishments of children are common in high-, middle-, and low-income communities around the world. The forms and rates of punishment vary among countries and among communities within countries. A median of 16% of children experienced harsh or potentially abusive physical discipline in the previous year. Copyright © 2010 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Authors & Co-Authors
Runyan, Desmond K.
United States, Chapel Hill
Unc School of Medicine
United States, Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Shankar, Viswanathan
United States, Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hassan, Fatma
Egypt, Ismailia
Faculty of Medicine
Hunter, Wanda M.
United States, Chapel Hill
Unc School of Medicine
United States, Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jain, Dipty L.
India, Nagpur
Government Medical College Nagpur
Silvestre Paula, Cristiane Silvestre
Brazil, Sao Paulo
Universidade Federal de São Paulo
Brazil, Sao Paulo
Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie
Bangdiwala, Shrikant I.
United States, Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ramiro, Laurie Serquina
Philippines, Manila
University of the Philippines Manila
Muñoz, Sergio R.
Chile, Temuco
Universidad de la Frontera, Facultad de Medicina
Vizcarra, Beatriz
Chile, Temuco
Universidad de la Frontera
Bordin, Isabel Altenfelder Santos
Brazil, Sao Paulo
Universidade Federal de São Paulo
Statistics
Citations: 159
Authors: 11
Affiliations: 9
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1542/peds.2008-2374
ISSN:
00314005
e-ISSN:
10984275
Research Areas
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
Egypt
Participants Gender
Female