Investigating Relationships Between Drinking Venues, Drinking Companions, and Corporal Punishment of Children

Abstract

Limited evidence suggests that how much a parent drinks in a particular venue, such as a bar, restaurant, or a friend’s home, is associated with use of corporal punishment. However, these relationships could differ depending on their drinking companions (e.g., spouse or friends). In this study, weighted zero-inflated Poisson models were used to examine whether the relationships between venue-specific drinking frequency, heavier drinking, and corporal punishment are moderated by drinking companions in a mixed-mode sample of parents ( n = 1,599). The relationships between drinking frequency, heavier drinking, and corporal punishment varied by drinking companions, with some combinations being protective and others conferring risk. While most alcohol screening tools focus on individual alcohol use, more nuanced assessment examining where and with whom parents are drinking could be helpful in understanding risk of physical discipline.

Using ecological momentary assessments to understand how drinking during special occasions relates to parenting behaviors

“…Mothers, who largely remain the primary caregivers for children especially during the pandemic (Dunatchik et al., 2021), may exhibit similar aggressive behaviors when drinking alcohol while watching aggressive sports. Further, alcohol use among mothers and fathers is a known risk factor for use of physical abuse (Stith et al., 2009) and corporal punishment (Freisthler & Gruenewald, 2013; Price Wolf & Dellor, 2019).…”

“…Further, parents who drank at “non‐routine” locations were more likely to do so without their child present, with nonroutine locations defined as those that were outside of the activity spaces where the parent conducted most of their daily living (Freisthler et al., 2021). Further drinking at bars, home, or at parties more often is related to more frequent use of physical abuse and corporal punishment (a form of “harsh” parenting that involves physical punishment; Freisthler, 2011; Freisthler et al., 2014; Freisthler & Gruenewald, 2013; Price Wolf & Dellor, 2019), with greater risks when drinking with a spouse (Price Wolf & Dellor, 2019). Conversely, drinking alcohol while at restaurants is related to less frequent use of physical abuse or corporal punishment (Freisthler et al., 2014; Freisthler & Gruenewald, 2013).…”