Assessing Dimensions of Parental Discipline

Abstract

This study examines the advisability to distinguish dimensions of discipline, by evaluating the Dimensions of Discipline Inventory (DDI, Straus and Fauchier 2007) in a sample of Belgian undergraduate students (N0371) who retrospectively reported on their mothers' and fathers' discipline behaviors aimed at correcting child misbehavior at age 10. First, confirmatory factor analyses showed that a model with nine factors fitted the data best, but also a model with four second-order factors was acceptable. Second, a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis with a Belgian and a U.S. sample (N0633) provided additional evidence for the nine-factor structure. Correlations between DDI scales and other parenting related variables demonstrated meaningful relations. Additionally, some DDI subscales were associated with measures of current problem behavior. To conclude, the present study illustrated that it is both useful and possible to differentiate between discipline constructs.

Parenting Practices as Risk or Preventive Factors for Adolescent Involvement in Cyberbullying: Contribution of Children and Parent Gender

“…Affection and communication, promotion of autonomy, humour, and disclosure also showed negative relationships with psychological control (see Table 1). These findings were in line with those found in previous studies [25,47,52].…”

Family Functioning and Its Relation to Parental Discipline

“…In the present study, the four scales/first order factors of DDI that will be used are: supervision (that include monitoring behaviors and ignoring bad behavior of the children/adolescents), penalty (which includes the use of disciplinary methods as deprivation of privileges and penalizing tasks and restorative behaviors), positive discipline (including distraction, explain/teach and reward) and aggressive discipline (which includes physical and psychological punishment). These factors result from the grouping of nine scales of general disciplinary dimensions of DDI (Calvete et al, 2010;Straus & Fauchier, 2011;Van Leeuwen, Fauchier, & Straus, 2012).…”

An Alternative to Residential Neighborhoods: An Exploratory Study of How Activity Spaces and Perception of Neighborhood Social Processes Relate to Maladaptive Parenting

“…Punitive parenting can include belittling, physical punishment or other actions involving aggression (Straus & Fauchier, 2011). In contrast, non-punitive parenting involves teaching the child the effects of their actions on others and the difference between right and wrong (Hoffman, 1983 in Van Leeuwen et al, 2012). Punitive parenting can include actions that would be considered child physical abuse, such as severe corporal punishment and other violence (e.g., hitting or kicking; Widom, 1989; Whipple et al, 1997), but not all punitive parenting practices are abusive (e.g., depriving a child of privileges).…”