Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Corporal Punishment in Bahamian Homes

Fielding, William J.; Ballance, Virginia

doi:10.15362/ijbs.v27i0.415

Cited by 2 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…We should also note that in a comparative study of college students in the United States and The Bahamas, Bahamian students were subject to more corporal punishment than their American peers (Fielding et al, 2015). Studies on violence in The Bahamas (Fielding et al, 2016;Fielding & Ballance, 2021b) suggest that corporal punishment is part of the domestic landscape in which Bahamian children are reared, which is consistent with studies from the Caribbean region (Landon et al, 2017).…”

Section: An Increasing Body Of Research From Withinsupporting

confidence: 69%

“…The use of corporal punishment has also been linked to macrosocial effects beyond the individual, as corporal punishment has a negative association with innovation, and so, ultimately, on national development (Fielding & Ballance, 2019). Further, Fielding and Ballance (2021b) have demonstrated that many parents do not display much knowledge of the long-term harm to which they expose their children through using corporal punishment. Moreover, Fielding and Ballance (2021b) found that in The Bahamas there is considerable disagreement as to whether anyone has the right to tell a parent how to raise their children, a matter raised by policymakers (Cartwright-Carroll, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, Fielding and Ballance (2021b) have demonstrated that many parents do not display much knowledge of the long-term harm to which they expose their children through using corporal punishment. Moreover, Fielding and Ballance (2021b) found that in The Bahamas there is considerable disagreement as to whether anyone has the right to tell a parent how to raise their children, a matter raised by policymakers (Cartwright-Carroll, 2021). This suggests that participants feel that society should not intrude upon what happens in the home.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If participants have read the Bible for themselves, without awareness of its literary genres, they risk misinterpreting its meaning. An example of not reading/misreading the Bible is the attribution, "Spare the rod and spoil the child", which does not appear in the Bible, but is used to justify corporal punishment (Fielding & Ballance, 2021b). What does seem to be clear is that participants who tended to read the Bible literally have lower TCB scores, which suggests a stronger influence of biblical teachings on their lives, than those who did not read the Bible literally.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, given the influence of biblicallybased teachings, and the results from other studies in The Bahamas (Fielding & Ballance, 2021b) which point to the Bible being used to support corporal punishment of children, this study was undertaken to examine the linkage between attitudes towards corporal punishment and the influence of the Bible in the lives of participants. While studies such as Fielding & Ballance (2021b) indicate that the Bible is quoted as justification for using corporal punishment, participants in that study misquoted the Bible (in particular, Proverbs 13:24, "Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them", New International Version, 1973), and so possibly demonstrated a superficial acquaintance with the Bible. Nonetheless, previous studies and articles in the press indicate that biblical influences may be an important underpinning for the use of corporal punishment (Corporal Punishment, 2019).…”

Section: An Increasing Body Of Research From Withinmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

The Bahamian Justification for Using Corporal Punishment Within the Home: A Christian Habit?

Fielding

Ballance

2022

Int. j. Bahamian stud.

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Corporal punishment is a common means of disciplining children in Bahamian homes. Previous studies in The Bahamas have linked the justification for its use with religious beliefs. An Internet survey employing a snowball sampling method resulted in 1,570 persons participating in a study designed to focus on the association between biblical influence and attitudes toward corporal punishment; namely, is there an association with biblical influence in the lives of participants and their attitudes towards corporal punishment of children? This study found that those most influenced by biblically based teachings were most likely to support the use of corporal punishment on their children. The results show that while overall belief in the Lord God of the Bible is associated with the use of corporal punishment, there is divergence between Christians to the extent corporal punishment is justified by the biblical texts, as well as how much participants' lives were modelled on biblical precepts (specifically, the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes). The divergence of opinions within the Christian population, which represents over 90% of the population of The Bahamas, indicates that attempts by the state to regulate the practice of corporal punishment will need to be promoted by pastors to make messages on nonviolent discipline of children acceptable to Christians in The Bahamas.

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Section: An Increasing Body Of Research From Withinsupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: An Increasing Body Of Research From Withinmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The Bahamian Justification for Using Corporal Punishment Within the Home: A Christian Habit?

Fielding

Ballance

2022

Int. j. Bahamian stud.

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Spare the rod, spoil the child: measurement and learning from an intervention to shift corporal punishment attitudes and behaviors in Grenada, West Indies

Landon,

Thomas,

Orlando

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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Childrearing practices in the Caribbean and other postcolonial states have long been associated with corporal punishment and are influenced by expectations of children for respectfulness and obedience. Evidence across settings shows that physical punishment of young children is both ineffective and detrimental. Saving Brains Grenada (SBG) implemented a pilot study of an intervention based on the Conscious Discipline curriculum that aimed to build adult caregivers’ skills around non-violent child discipline. We hypothesized that attitudes towards corporal punishment would shift to be negative as adults learned more positive discipline methods, and that child neurodevelopment would correspondingly improve. This report reviews the impact of monitoring and evaluation on the design and implementation of the intervention. Study 1 presents findings from the pilot study. Despite positive gains in neurodevelopmental outcomes among children in the intervention compared to controls, attitudes towards corporal punishment and reported use of it did not change. Additionally, several internal conflicts in the measures used to assess corporal punishment behaviors and attitudes were identified. Study 2 is a response to learning from Study 1 and highlights the importance for monitoring and evaluation to be data-informed, adaptive, and culturally appropriate. In Study 2, the SBG research team conducted cognitive interviews and group discussions with stakeholders to assess the content and comprehensibility of the Attitudes Towards Corporal Punishment Scale (ACP). This yielded insights into the measurement of attitudes towards corporal punishment and related parenting behavior, and prompted several revisions to the ACP. To accurately evaluate the intervention’s theory of change and its goal to reduce violence against children, reliable and appropriate measures of attitudes towards corporal punishment and punishment behaviors are needed. Together, these two studies emphasize the value of continuous monitoring, evaluation, and learning in the implementation, adaptation, evaluation, and scaling of SBG and similar early childhood development interventions.

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Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Corporal Punishment in Bahamian Homes

Cited by 2 publications

References 22 publications

The Bahamian Justification for Using Corporal Punishment Within the Home: A Christian Habit?

The Bahamian Justification for Using Corporal Punishment Within the Home: A Christian Habit?

Spare the rod, spoil the child: measurement and learning from an intervention to shift corporal punishment attitudes and behaviors in Grenada, West Indies

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