On the receiving end : young adults describe their parents' use of physical punishment and other disciplinary measures during childhood Millichamp, Jane; Martin, Judy; Langley, John
Material type:
- 1175-8716
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The New Zealand Medical Journal 119(1228): 13-27, 27 January 2006
This study investigated the prevalence, nature, and context of physical punishment and other forms of parental discipline, as reported by study members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. Interviews were conducted with 962 adults, aged 26 years, about their experiences of discipline in childhood. Variables relating to the person administering the punishment were also investigated. The findings show that while 80% of the study participants were exposed to physical punishment at some time during childhood, prevalence was highest for primary school years. Punisher-related reports showed that mothers were significantly more likely to use non-physical types of punishment, whereas fathers were significantly more likely to use extreme physical punishment. The use of punishment by parents appears to be influenced by many contextual factors, including gender, age, parent and family characteristics, and environmental conditions. It is suggested that the findings of the study could help in the development of effective and positive parenting strategies, and that they could be of benefit in efforts aimed at prevention and early intervention for at-risk groups.