Examining the relationships between parent experiences and youth self-reports of slapping/spanking: a population-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundSlapping/spanking is related to a number of poor health outcomes. Understanding what factors are related to the increased or decreased use of spanking/slapping is necessary to inform prevention. This study used a population-based sample to determine the prevalence of slapping/spanking reported by youth; the relationship between sociodemographic factors and slapping/spanking; and the extent to which parental exposures to victimization and maltreatment in childhood and current parental mental health, substance use and family circumstances, are associated with youth reports of slapping/spanking.MethodsData were from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study, a provincially representative sample of households with children and youth aged 4–17 years. Self-reported lifetime slapping/spanking prevalence was determined using a sub-sample of youth aged 14–17 years (n = 1883). Parents/primary caregivers (i.e., person most knowledgeable (PMK) of the youth) self-reported their own childhood experiences including bullying victimization, slapping/spanking and child maltreatment, and current mental health, substance use and family circumstances including mental health functioning and emotional well-being, alcohol use, smoking, marital conflict and family functioning. Analyses were conducted in 2018.ResultsLiving in urban compared to rural residence and family poverty were associated with decreased odds of slapping/spanking. PMK childhood experiences of physical and verbal bullying victimization, spanking, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and exposure to physical intimate partner violence were associated with increased odds of youth reported slapping/spanking (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] ranged from 1.33–1.77). PMK experiences of physical abuse and exposure to emotional/verbal intimate partner violence in childhood was associated with decreased odds of youth reported slapping/spanking (AOR = 0.72 and 0.88, respectively). PMK’s higher levels of marital conflict, languishing to moderate mental health functioning and emotional well-being, and moderate or greater alcohol use were associated with increased odds of youth reported slapping/spanking (AOR ranged from 1.36–1.61).ConclusionsIt may be important to consider parent/primary caregiver’s childhood experiences with victimization and maltreatment along with their current parental mental health, substance use and family circumstances when developing and testing strategies to prevent slapping/spanking.

An Examination of Parents’ Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) History and Reported Spanking of Their Child: Informing Child Maltreatment Prevention Efforts

“…More specifically, consistent with the current work, data from parents and adolescents from Ontario, Canada indicated that a parent’s history of experiencing slapping/spanking and emotional abuse were related to an increased likelihood that their child or youth would be slapped/spanked, while parental physical neglect was not related to children’s experiences of spanking in either study [ 42 ]. Importantly, parental experiences of physical abuse demonstrated reverse relationships in each study with the current study finding an increased likelihood with their child experiencing spanking and the Ontario data indicating decreased likelihood with their child experiencing slapping/spanking [ 42 ]. It is possible that growing up in a violent household may lead to a tolerance of violence and the continued use of physical force across generations.…”

“…However, what is currently not well understood is how parents’ history of a wider range of individual ACEs may be related to an increased likelihood of their own children being spanked. One study from our group using representative data from Ontario, Canada indicated that a parents’ childhood experiences of being bullied, slapped/spanked, experiencing sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and exposure to physical intimate partner violence (IPV) were associated with increased odds of youth reports of being spanked or slapped, while parents’ childhood experiences of physical abuse were associated with a decreased likelihood of youth reports of being spanked or slapped [ 42 ]. More work is needed in this area with a focus on a broader range of specific ACEs experienced by parents and how this may be related to the intergenerational transmission of violence with their own children’s experiences of spanking.…”

Associations between Lifetime Spanking/Slapping and Adolescent Physical and Mental Health and Behavioral Outcomes

“…Previous research using the same sample found that 18% of adolescents aged 14 to 17 years had reported being spanked on the bottom and/or slapped on the hand 3 times or more in their lifetime. 19 Information on missing data is available in Appendix A .…”

“…The majority of parents/caregivers were biological, adoptive, or stepparents (88.4% mothers, 9.7% fathers), and the remaining 1.4% were related or unrelated caregivers. 19 Study methods are published elsewhere. 37 Only adolescents aged 14 to 17 years were asked questions about lifetime spanking/slapping and child maltreatment, and therefore, this subsample was used.…”

“…17,18 In contrast to these beliefs, there is an extensive and growing literature demonstrating that physical punishment, including spanking, is associated with poor outcomes across the life span, including poor mental health, poor physical health, and problem behaviors. 2,14,[19][20][21][22] Spanking may change the structure and function of biological processes and/or promote maladaptive coping behaviors resulting in poor mental and physical health outcomes and problem behaviors. 23 Research on the association between spanking and problem behaviors are of particular importance, given that spanking is often viewed as a response to and/or a strategy to discourage perceived misbehavior and increase compliance.…”