Parental discipline and abuse potential affects on child depression, anxiety, and attributions

Rodriguez, Christina M.

Parental discipline and abuse potential affects on child depression, anxiety, and attributions Rodriguez, Christina M. - Minneapolis, MN National Council on Family Relations 2003

Journal of Marriage and Family 65(4) November : 809-817

This journal article reports the findings of a study that investigated differences in children's emotional functioning as a product of their parents' reported disciplinary practices and child abuse potential. Families with no known history of abuse were recruited to ascertain whether depressogenic attributional style and depressive or anxious symptomatology was evident in children of parents who used harsher physical punishment and who had higher abuse potential. Forty-two children ages 8-12, recruited from schools in Dunedin, New Zealand, participated with their parents. Child-report measures of depression, anxiety, and attributional style were compared with parents' responses on physical discipline scenarios and child abuse potential. The author found that children's anxiety symptoms were higher in those children whose parents obtained higher abuse potential scores and had harsher discipline practices. Children's depressive symptoms and some components of maladaptive attributional style were also found in families with higher abuse potential. The author argues that results suggest that emotional difficulties similar to those of maltreated children are evident even without identifiable abuse.--ADAPTED FROM THE JOURNAL ABSTRACT

0022-2445


CHILD ABUSE
CHILDREN
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
DEPRESSION
DISCIPLINE
FAMILIES
MENTAL HEALTH
PARENTING
PHYSICAL ABUSE
RESEARCH
STATISTICS


NEW ZEALAND
DUNEDIN