Parental Use of Physical Force in Child Discipline

Abstract

Surveys of parents have revealed the common use of physical punishment in disciplining children. In this study, responses of young, unmarried adults about their own personal experiences in having been spanked were obtained from 679 college freshmen. These respondents indicated (a) that being physically punished was a common childhood experience, with 93.2% of the respondents having been spanked as children; (b) that these young adults are now very accepting of the use of spanking by parents and they fully intend to carry on the spanking tradition with their own (future) children; and (c) that those who were not spanked as children are now significantly less accepting of the practice than those who were spanked. Other findings, such as the ages at which spankings occurred, their severity, injuries, the involvement of anger of parents and resentment of children, and the importance of studying common or “subabusive” violence against children are discussed.