title: Early parental physical punishment and emotional and behavioural outcomes in preschool children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether there is an association between being smacked by your main caregiver in the first two years and emotional and behavioural problems at age four.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary analysis of data from the Growing Up in Scotland Prospective Study (GUS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Scotland, UK.
  
  
  METHODS
  GUS birth cohort children, whose main caregiver had no concerns about their behaviour at 22 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ever smacked by main caregiver in first 22 months, as measured by caregiver self-report at 22 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Emotional and behavioural problems as measured by parental assessment and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at 46 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preschool children exposed to main caregiver smacking in the first two years were twice as likely to have emotional and behavioural problems as measured by parental assessment [odds ratio (OR) 2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9-3.2; absolute risk reduction (ARR) 17.8%, 95% CI 12.1-23.5] and SDQ (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.7-3.7; ARR 7.5%, 95% CI 3.7-11.5), as children never smacked by their main caregiver. The association remained significant after adjusting for child age and sex, caregiver age, sex, ethnicity, educational attainment and mental health status, sibling number, structural family transitions and socioeconomic status (adj. OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.8-3.2 for parental assessment and adj. OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.4-3.5 for SDQ).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parental use of physical punishment in the first two years may be a modifiable risk factor for emotional and behavioural difficulties in preschool children.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Student, Public Health, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lewsey
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011678:Punishment / Q000523:psychology*; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: SDQ; behaviour; emotional well-being; parenting; preschool children