Parental Discipline

“The pain is on all of us”: A qualitative study of parents’ experiences using physical punishment on children
  • Although all parents in the sample used physical punishment, opinions were mixed on its acceptability and effectiveness.
  • Parents cited their own upbringing and judicial caning as factors that encouraged their use of physical punishment.
  • Physical punishment’s unmatched ability to elicit immediate compliance also incentivised its use by parents.
  • Parents’ use of physical punishment is driven by factors such as the child’s age, transgression, and their mood and stress.
  • A majority of parents described intense feelings of guilt and regret after administering physical punishment.
Clarissa Choo, Hoi Shan Cheung, Elinor Lim, Kelly M. Y. Chan, Charlene S. L. Fu
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“The pain is on all of us”: A qualitative study of parents’ experiences using physical punishment on children
Latent class profiles of parental discipline and their associations with adjustment outcomes: A retrospective study of young adults
  • Young adults reported parental discipline experiences that could be sorted into 3 groups, ranging from harshest (high levels of physical, psychological, and non-violent discipline) to least harsh (little physical discipline, moderate amount of psychological discipline, and high level of non-violent discipline).
  • Participants who received harsher parental discipline had more difficulty regulating their emotions and poorer relationships with their parents, compared with those who received less harsh discipline.
  • The young adults who reported receiving harsher discipline from their mothers also had lower self-esteem than those who received less harsh maternal discipline. The harshness of paternal discipline did not significantly affect participants’ self-esteem.
Kelly M. Y. Chan, Elinor Lim, Hoi Shan Cheung, Charlene S. L. Fu
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Latent class profiles of parental discipline and their associations with adjustment outcomes: A retrospective study of young adults