Ask New Mothers About Corporal Punishment

HONOLULU — Corporal punishment was being used by 1 in 7 mothers to discipline their 11-month-olds in a prospective study of 1,378 mothers.

Dr. Esther K. Chung, primary investigator, said the findings suggest that physicians may want to consider addressing the issues of spanking and corporal punishment during routine infant visits, rather than waiting until the toddler years.

Women participating in the Philadelphia-based study were initially interviewed during their first prenatal visit concerning their attitudes about corporal punishment and their own childhood experiences. Follow-up interviews were conducted in their homes at 3 and 11 months post partum, Dr. Chung said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

A total of 1,378 mothers were enrolled, and almost half of them were first-time mothers. Of the cohort, 75% were African American and 76% were single; their average mean income was $8,271 a year.

More than half of the mothers described suffering physical abuse before the age of 16, and 13% reported being sexually abused during childhood; 14% had experienced domestic violence. Almost 20% had witnessed a shooting during childhood, and 46% knew the victim of a shooting.

The women's lives were not devoid of affection, however.

Half of them reported that, during childhood, they had often been told they were great. Nearly 60% of them said they had received hugs when they did something well. A positive maternal relationship was reported by 76%, and 53% said they had experienced a positive relationship with their fathers.

During the prenatal visit, 19% supported corporal punishment in their responses to statements such as, “Spanking children when they misbehave teaches them to behave,” and “Children who bite others need to be bitten so they can learn what it feels like.”

By the time an interview was conducted 11 months post partum, 14% of the mothers were already using corporal punishment on their babies, reported Dr. Chung, a pediatrician at Jefferson Medical College and the Alfred I. duPont Hospital in Philadelphia.

The use of corporal punishment post partum was strongly correlated with a mother's own history of physical abuse during childhood, her experience of verbal hostility during her own childhood, and her own favorable attitude in the prenatal period toward the use of corporal punishment.

Expressing a positive attitude toward corporal punishment during pregnancy increased the odds of applying corporal punishment almost twofold by 11 months post partum. Physicians should consider the findings when they counsel mothers-to-be and mothers of young babies. Although some parents “look at us like we're crazy,” the message that there are alternatives to corporal punishment is heard, said Dr. Chung. “I don't think our efforts at educating families fall on deaf ears.”

HONOLULU — Corporal punishment was being used by 1 in 7 mothers to discipline their 11-month-olds in a prospective study of 1,378 mothers.

Dr. Esther K. Chung, primary investigator, said the findings suggest that physicians may want to consider addressing the issues of spanking and corporal punishment during routine infant visits, rather than waiting until the toddler years.

Women participating in the Philadelphia-based study were initially interviewed during their first prenatal visit concerning their attitudes about corporal punishment and their own childhood experiences. Follow-up interviews were conducted in their homes at 3 and 11 months post partum, Dr. Chung said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

A total of 1,378 mothers were enrolled, and almost half of them were first-time mothers. Of the cohort, 75% were African American and 76% were single; their average mean income was $8,271 a year.

More than half of the mothers described suffering physical abuse before the age of 16, and 13% reported being sexually abused during childhood; 14% had experienced domestic violence. Almost 20% had witnessed a shooting during childhood, and 46% knew the victim of a shooting.

The women's lives were not devoid of affection, however.

Half of them reported that, during childhood, they had often been told they were great. Nearly 60% of them said they had received hugs when they did something well. A positive maternal relationship was reported by 76%, and 53% said they had experienced a positive relationship with their fathers.

During the prenatal visit, 19% supported corporal punishment in their responses to statements such as, “Spanking children when they misbehave teaches them to behave,” and “Children who bite others need to be bitten so they can learn what it feels like.”

By the time an interview was conducted 11 months post partum, 14% of the mothers were already using corporal punishment on their babies, reported Dr. Chung, a pediatrician at Jefferson Medical College and the Alfred I. duPont Hospital in Philadelphia.

The use of corporal punishment post partum was strongly correlated with a mother's own history of physical abuse during childhood, her experience of verbal hostility during her own childhood, and her own favorable attitude in the prenatal period toward the use of corporal punishment.

Expressing a positive attitude toward corporal punishment during pregnancy increased the odds of applying corporal punishment almost twofold by 11 months post partum. Physicians should consider the findings when they counsel mothers-to-be and mothers of young babies. Although some parents “look at us like we're crazy,” the message that there are alternatives to corporal punishment is heard, said Dr. Chung. “I don't think our efforts at educating families fall on deaf ears.”

HONOLULU — Corporal punishment was being used by 1 in 7 mothers to discipline their 11-month-olds in a prospective study of 1,378 mothers.

Dr. Esther K. Chung, primary investigator, said the findings suggest that physicians may want to consider addressing the issues of spanking and corporal punishment during routine infant visits, rather than waiting until the toddler years.

Women participating in the Philadelphia-based study were initially interviewed during their first prenatal visit concerning their attitudes about corporal punishment and their own childhood experiences. Follow-up interviews were conducted in their homes at 3 and 11 months post partum, Dr. Chung said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

A total of 1,378 mothers were enrolled, and almost half of them were first-time mothers. Of the cohort, 75% were African American and 76% were single; their average mean income was $8,271 a year.

More than half of the mothers described suffering physical abuse before the age of 16, and 13% reported being sexually abused during childhood; 14% had experienced domestic violence. Almost 20% had witnessed a shooting during childhood, and 46% knew the victim of a shooting.

The women's lives were not devoid of affection, however.

Half of them reported that, during childhood, they had often been told they were great. Nearly 60% of them said they had received hugs when they did something well. A positive maternal relationship was reported by 76%, and 53% said they had experienced a positive relationship with their fathers.

During the prenatal visit, 19% supported corporal punishment in their responses to statements such as, “Spanking children when they misbehave teaches them to behave,” and “Children who bite others need to be bitten so they can learn what it feels like.”

By the time an interview was conducted 11 months post partum, 14% of the mothers were already using corporal punishment on their babies, reported Dr. Chung, a pediatrician at Jefferson Medical College and the Alfred I. duPont Hospital in Philadelphia.

The use of corporal punishment post partum was strongly correlated with a mother's own history of physical abuse during childhood, her experience of verbal hostility during her own childhood, and her own favorable attitude in the prenatal period toward the use of corporal punishment.

Expressing a positive attitude toward corporal punishment during pregnancy increased the odds of applying corporal punishment almost twofold by 11 months post partum. Physicians should consider the findings when they counsel mothers-to-be and mothers of young babies. Although some parents “look at us like we're crazy,” the message that there are alternatives to corporal punishment is heard, said Dr. Chung. “I don't think our efforts at educating families fall on deaf ears.”