Relations of spanking and other parenting characteristics to self-esteem and perceived fairness of parental discipline.
Punishment has long been a controversial topic in psychology, perhaps partly because its effects are different under different circumstances. This study used retrospective reports from college students to examine the effects of spanking, a common aversive punishment, on self-esteem and perceived fairness of parental discipline, while taking the effects of other parental characteristics into account. No parental characteristic interacted with the slightly negative effect of spanking on self-esteem and fairness. However, controlling for positive communication or for a parent-oriented motivation for spanking eliminated the negative effects of spanking, suggesting that the negative effects reflected use of spanking as a replacement for positive communication with the child.
Larzelere
R E
RE
Klein
M
M
Schumm
W R
WR
Alibrando
S A
SA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002668:Child Rearing; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011678:Punishment; D012649:Self Concept