Positive communication moderates the relationship between corporal punishment and child depressive symptoms

Findings are few and mixed regarding the moderating influence that supportive parenting might have on the link between corporal punishment and child depressive symptoms.

A multiple regression model was estimated to examine proposed relationships in a 1-year longitudinal community-recruited sample of 89 children (56% male; 9-12 years).

High levels of corporal punishment in tandem with high levels of supportive communication were associated with the highest levels of depressive symptoms.

Although supportive parenting behaviors have been shown to be beneficial for child outcomes, when considering a stress-process framework, simultaneous experiences of harsh and positive parenting may yield more negative outcomes.