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A Survey of Parents' Perceptions and Use of Time-out Compared to Empirical Evidence

Andrew R Riley1, David V Wagner1, Megan E Tudor2

  • 1Division of Psychology, Institute on Development and Disability, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Ore.

Academic Pediatrics
|November 19, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Most parents use time-out (TO) but implement it incorrectly, despite its perceived effectiveness. Evidence-based discipline education is needed for parents to improve TO application and child behavior management.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Behavioral Science
  • Parenting Interventions

Background:

  • Time-out (TO) is a common disciplinary strategy used by parents.
  • Empirical evidence guides effective TO implementation, focusing on behavioral principles.
  • Parental understanding and application of TO may not align with research-based guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate parental perceptions and usage of time-out (TO).
  • To compare parents' TO implementation with empirical recommendations.
  • To examine the link between TO procedures and their perceived effectiveness.

Main Methods:

  • Surveyed 401 parents of children aged 15 months to 10 years at well-child visits.
  • Assessed awareness, perception, and usage of TO, focusing on empirically validated components.
  • Utilized descriptive, comparative, and correlational analyses to examine TO practices and effectiveness.

Main Results:

  • 76.8% of parents reported using TO for misbehavior.
  • 84.9% of parents implemented TO in ways contrary to empirical evidence.
  • Specific practices, like requiring a child to be calm before ending TO, correlated positively with perceived effectiveness.

Conclusions:

  • Time-out is widely used but often implemented with low fidelity to evidence-based practices.
  • Significant discrepancies exist between parental TO implementation and research-supported methods.
  • Improved parental education on evidence-based discipline strategies is necessary.
Abstract

Keywords:
disciplineparenting practicestime-out

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