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How Do Knowledge and Attitudes About Children's Rights Influence Spanking Attitudes?
Elena Gallitto1, Gabrielle Josée Veilleux1, Elisa Romano1
1University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
|June 11, 2019
Summary
Favorable attitudes toward children's rights correlate with less favorable views on spanking. Greater knowledge of children's rights amplifies this effect, suggesting education can reduce support for physical punishment.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Human Rights Studies
- Sociology of the Family
Background:
- Children's rights emphasize equality, respect, and dignity for children.
- Existing research links children's rights attitudes to nurturance and self-determination.
- Limited research explores the connection between children's rights dimensions and parenting constructs like physical punishment attitudes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between knowledge of and attitudes toward children's rights and attitudes toward spanking.
- To examine the moderating role of child rights knowledge on the relationship between children's rights attitudes and spanking attitudes.
Main Methods:
- A Canadian sample of 329 undergraduate students participated in an online study.
- Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were employed to analyze the data.
- The study assessed participants' knowledge of and attitudes toward children's rights and their attitudes toward spanking.
Main Results:
- A significant negative association was found: more favorable attitudes toward children's rights predicted less favorable attitudes toward spanking.
- Child rights knowledge significantly moderated this relationship, with greater knowledge enhancing the effect.
- These findings highlight the interplay between understanding and valuing children's rights in shaping views on physical punishment.
Conclusions:
- Increased knowledge of children's rights can strengthen the negative association between pro-children's rights attitudes and acceptance of spanking.
- Public education on children's rights may be an effective strategy to decrease favorable attitudes toward spanking.
- The study underscores the importance of both cognitive and affective components of children's rights in influencing parenting attitudes.
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