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Published on: June 12, 2020
A brief intervention may affect parents' attitudes toward using less physical punishment
Seth J Scholer1, Emma C Hamilton, Melissa C Johnson
1Departmentof Pediatrics and the Monroe Carell Jr Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. Seth.Scholer@vanderbilt.edu
A brief parenting intervention significantly reduced parents' attitudes toward spanking. This study suggests parenting programs can decrease physical punishment, benefiting child development.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Pediatric Health
- Parenting Interventions
Background:
- Physical punishment is a common parenting practice.
- Parental attitudes influence disciplinary methods.
- Early childhood settings offer opportunities for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a brief parenting intervention.
- To assess changes in parental attitudes toward spanking.
- To explore implications for primary care and early education.
Main Methods:
- Randomized study involving 96 parents.
- Utilized the Attitudes Toward Spanking (ATS) scale.
- Measured ATS scores at baseline and 4 months postintervention.
Main Results:
- The intervention group showed a significant decrease in ATS scores (-2.7 points, P = 0.01).
- No significant change in ATS scores was observed in the control group.
- Higher ATS scores correlate with increased physical punishment.
Conclusions:
- Brief parenting interventions can effectively shift attitudes away from physical punishment.
- These findings support integrating such interventions into primary care and early education.
- Reducing physical punishment has positive implications for child well-being.
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