Who spanks infants and toddlers? Evidence from the fragile families and child well-being study

Abstract

We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (FFCW), a birth cohort study of children in 18 medium to large U.S. cities, to examine the prevalence and determinants of spanking among infants and toddlers (at mean age 14 months). Taking advantage of the large and diverse sample in FFCW, we conduct separate analyses for children of African American (N=1,710), Hispanic (N=853), and white non-Hispanic (N=812) mothers. Overall, about 15% of children are spanked at 12 months, with this share rising to 40% by 18 months and nearly 50% for children age 20 months or older. We find that there are marked differences in the use of spanking across the three racial/ethnic groups, with children of African American mothers more likely to be spanked and at a younger age. Moreover, while some predictors of spanking are seen across all three groups, others vary. Mothers who are young, who report more parental stress, or report their child has a more difficult temperament are more likely to spank across all three groups. However, being a boy increases the risk of spanking only within African American families. First-born children are at elevated risk of spanking to at least some extent in all groups, but much more so within Hispanic families. In addition, maternal employment is associated with a greater likelihood of spanking in Hispanic families.Although spanking at these young ages is not necessarily indicative of maltreatment, it may be a marker for families who are at elevated risk of maltreatment. As such, our findings, by highlighting some risk factors that are common across groups as well as some that are more important for particular groups, may have implications for child abuse prevention.The United States is unique among peer industrialized countries in the extent to which parents use spanking. While 25 countries have followed Sweden's lead and banned corporal punishment (EPOCH-USA, 2010), its use remains very widespread in the United States, with close to 100% of parents reporting using some form of corporal punishment on at least some occasions (Straus & Stewart, 1999). Moreover, while spanking is often thought of as a disciplinary practice used for preschoolers and school-age children, it is in fact fairly widely applied to much younger children. Our own estimates for infants and toddlers from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study, a large birth cohort study of children from 18 medium to large U.S. cities, indicate that 15% of 12-month olds are spanked, with this share rising to 40% by 18 months and nearly 50% by 20 or more months.While spanking at these young ages is not necessarily indicative of maltreatment, it may be a marker for families who are at elevated risk of maltreatment. If this is the case, it is important to know not just how many families are spanking, but also who is spanking. For this reason, we focus in this paper on examining both the prevalence of spanking of infants and toddlers and the determinants of spanking among that population. Identifying factors that inc...

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