 Physical
Punishment: What makes it more or less harmful?
Deater-Deckard, K., & Dodge,
K.A. (1997). Externalizing behavior problems and discipline revisited: Nonlinear
effects and variation by culture, context, and gender. Psychological Inquiry,
8, 3, 161-175.
In the last issue of Youth Update, evidence was
presented which suggested that harsh physical discipline during the pre-school years
increases the chances of the child developing assaultive behaviour in the adolescent
years. The present study, however, suggests that the relationship between physical
punishment and aggression is not that simple. Many factors may increase or decrease
the harmful effects of physical punishment on behaviour. Some factors outlined in
the present article include:
- Child-parent relationship.
- If the relationship between the child and the
parent giving the punishment is distant and the child perceives the parent as non-caring,
then the effects of this punishment are severe. On the other hand, if the child and
parent have a good relationship and the child perceives the parent as loving and
caring, then the effect of punishment may be negligible.
- Cultural Context.
- The effect of physical punishment may vary depending
on how common and acceptable physical punishment is in that culture. For example,
it is suggested that physical punishment is not as harmful for children in some African
American families as for children in some white families in the U.S. In fact, in
some African American families, the lack of physical discipline may be preceived
by the child as an abandonment of the parental role (see Vol 15, No 1 of Youth Update).
- Gender of Parent and Child.
- There is some evidence that the adverse effects
of physical punishment are magnified if the child and the parent are of the same
gender (e.g., father punishing the son). However, if the child and parent are of
different genders, then the effects are not as severe. This may be the case because
a parent of the same gender is seen by the child as more of a role model.
Comment
Physical punishment as a method of disciplining
children remains a common practice in North America. One survey found that 79% -
97% of three-year-old children are physically punished in any given year and 11%
of children experience severe violence that amounts to physical abuse. There is consenus
in the literature that physical punishment that meets the definition of physical
abuse is always harmful. Even mild, occasional, physical punishment carries certain
risks. With knowledge of these facts, every effort should be made to convince
parents not to use physical punishment and that alternative ways of disciplining
children are more effective and carry little risk.
Managing Aggressive
Children in
Residential Treatment
Connor, D.F., Melloni, R.H., &
Harrison, R.J. (1998). Overt categorical aggression in referred children and adolescents.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 37, 66-73.
Aggressive behaviour in children and adolescents
is currently the most common reason for referral to a residential treatment setting.
In this study, 51 hyper emotionally disturbed youth (28 male) with a mean age of
13.3 years were assessed in a residential setting.
The following behaviours were found
to be present:
- verbal aggression 97.1%
- physical assault 90.2%
- property destruction 60.8%
- self injurious behaviour 49.0%
Patients who exhibited a high frequency of daily
assaults were compared to patients who exhibited a low frequency of daily assaults.
Factors which differentiated those
with high average daily physical assaults to those with low average daily assaults:
- Gender: boys had a higher number of
daily physical assaults
- Children removed from home for aggression
- Children who used verbal threats, destroyed
property, and indulged in self injurious behaviour
- Children who have experienced physical
abuse
Factors which did not differentiate
those with high average daily physical assaults to those with low average daily assaults:
- Psychiatric diagnosis or neurological
disorders
- IQ
- Age
- Ethnicity
Comment
This study suggests that children who are likely
to be assaultive can be identified upon admission to a residential treatment setting
for disturbed children so that special programs can be developed for them. However,
as the authors point out, we still do not know what are the most effective ways of
dealing with assaultive youth: medication, physical restraint, time out, or a combination
of the above.
Youth Update
Associate Editor: Sorrell Nicholl
Writers: Jalal Shamsie, Sorrell Nicholl
Layout: Sorrell Nicholl
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Howsden
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