title: [Physical punishment in children: opinions and behaviors of adults].
abstract: Five hundred twenty seven parents and tutors from three schools of Santiago were surveyed, using anonymous inquiry, to know behaviors and opinions towards child abuse. Sixty three percent of the sample judged physical punishment useless as an educational tool. However, 75% tacitly admitted to hit children, when they were asked a question about the ways they used to punish them. This question was answered by a significantly higher proportion of women. The principal reasons to use physical punishments were defying attitudes, lack of study and running away from home. The principal ways of physical punishment were hand blows (49%), lashes with belts (13%) and shaking (19%). The principal punitive restrictions were restrains from going out of home (70%) or watching television (46%) and not talking to children (14%). Sixty six percent of parents reminded physical punishments during their childhood. This background was associated with a higher frequency of actual battering. It is concluded that there is incoherence between real behavior and opinions towards child battering among parents and that the magnitude of this problem precludes its short term eradication.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Toro
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zúñiga
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ciocca
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010332:Paternal Behavior; D011678:Punishment / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
vernacular_title: El castigo físico a los niños: opinión y conducta de los adultos.