title: Consequences of parental corporal punishment on 12-year old children in the Colombo district.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the association between parental corporal punishment and psychological maladjustment in children. Potential mediating variables of this association were explored. The relationship between corporal punishment and physical abuse was also investigated. DESIGN, SETTING AND SAMPLE: The children (N = 1226, 12-year olds) were selected from government schools in the Colombo district, using a stratified random sampling technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-administered instruments, adapted and validated to the Sri Lankan context were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The experience of parental corporal punishment was shown to be moderately, but significantly, associated with psychological maladjustment in children. This association was enhanced by the child witnessing or experiencing non-parent-to-child violence (eg. domestic, community, teacher and peer violence). The extent of the child's support network, the nature of the parent-child relationship and the child's attitude to corporal punishment did not significantly alter the association between corporal punishment and psychological maladjustment. Corporal punishment was also moderately, but significantly, associated with child physical abuse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parental corporal punishment is associated with psychological harm for children; this association is further enhanced by other forms of violence in a child's life.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Australia.
authors.forename: Piyanjali
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Zoysa
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Newcombe
authors.forename: Lalini
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rajapakse
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011678:Punishment / Q000523:psychology*; D013188:Sri Lanka