Intergenerational Transmission of Physical Punishment: Differing Mechanisms in Mothers' and Fathers' Endorsement?

• NCJ Number: 217312
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 21 Issue: 8 Dated: November 2006 Pages: 509-519
• Author(s): Erika S. Lunkenheimer; Jennifer E. Kittler; Sheryl L. Olson; Felicia Kleinberg
• Date Published: November 2006
• Length: 11 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH57489
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined intergenerational patterns in the transmission of physical punishment for both mothers and fathers, with attention to the effect on these patterns of the parent's marital satisfaction.

Abstract

The study found that mothers who were physically punished by their own mother in childhood were more likely to endorse the use of physical punishment with their children. Fathers were more likely to endorse physical punishment if they had perceived the overall discipline in their childhood home as harsh. Fathers, but not mothers, were significantly less likely to endorse physically punishing their children if their marital satisfaction was high. These findings confirm prior research that has shown fathers to be less directly influenced by their childhood punishment experiences than mothers. Study participants were 241 mothers and 107 fathers whose children (51.5 percent male) ranged in age from 29 to 45 months. Parents and children were participants in a large, ongoing longitudinal study that is examining the predictors and correlates of problem behavior in preschool children. The children and their parents lived in or within a 40-mile radius of a medium-size, midwestern city. They were recruited through local pediatric practices, day-care centers, and preschools, as well as through newspaper ads in local and regional newspapers. Data and information were obtained by a female social worker during two to four home visits. A semistructured interview included questions about the parent's childhood exposure to physical discipline and current endorsement of discipline practices. Each parent completed a packet of questionnaires that included questions about marital satisfaction and conflict. Parents were instructed to complete the questionnaires separately and without consultation with one another. 5 tables, 51 references, and appended Measure of Parents' Discipline History