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Correlates and consequences of harsh discipline for young children
1Center for Young Children and Families, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Insights
Harsh discipline, including hitting and scolding, impacts low-birth-weight children. For boys, poverty increases harsh discipline; for girls, harsh discipline combined with low maternal warmth significantly lowers IQ scores.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Low-birth-weight infants face unique developmental challenges.
- Harsh discipline is a concern in child-rearing practices.
- Understanding predictors and consequences of harsh discipline is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence, predictors, and consequences of harsh discipline in low-birth-weight children.
- To analyze harsh discipline at 1 and 3 years of age.
- To examine the impact of harsh discipline on cognitive development (IQ).
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP), a randomized clinical trial.
- Sample included 715 low-birth-weight children at 3 years of age.
- Maternal self-report and observer reports assessed hitting and scolding; Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale measured IQ.
Main Results:
- Boys received higher amounts of harsh discipline across all measures.
- For boys, impoverished home environments predicted increased harsh punishment.
- Girls showed vulnerability to persistent harsh discipline and low maternal warmth, associated with a 12-point lower IQ.
Conclusions:
- Child, maternal, and environmental factors predict harsh discipline.
- Harsh discipline has differential consequences for boys and girls.
- Interventions addressing maternal warmth and socioeconomic factors may mitigate negative impacts on girls' cognitive development.
Objective:
To examine the incidence, predictors, and consequences of harsh discipline in a sample of low-birth-weight children at 1 and 3 years of age.
Design:
Analysis of data from the Infant Health and Development Program, an 8-site randomized clinical trial of low-birth-weight infants. The sample for analysis consisted of 715 children who were 3 years of age. The independent measurements of primary interest were the mother's hitting and scolding of her child as disciplinary practice. Analyses were run separately for boys and girls. Bivariate and logistic analyses were used to examine the predictors of the mother's hitting and scolding behavior. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to examine the consequences of the mother's harsh discipline on a child's IQ measured at age 3 years.
Main Outcome Measures:
The mother's self-report of whether she used more than 1 physical punishment in the past week, as well as an observer's report from 2 home visits of whether the mother hit or scolded the child during the 2-hour home visit. In addition, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale was used to examine the consequences of persistent harsh discipline on child well-being.
Results:
Findings demonstrate child, maternal, and environmental factors that might aggravate a parent's use of corporal punishment. Boys received higher amounts of harsh discipline on all outcome measures. For boys, growing up in an impoverished home was predictive of the greater likelihood of receiving harsh punishment. Using IQ at age 3 years as the outcome measure, girls were found to be vulnerable to persistent harsh discipline and lack of maternal warmth. Maternal harsh discipline in a context of low maternal warmth was associated with IQ scores for girls that are 12 points lower than the IQ scores of girls who received low punishment and high warmth.