title: History of postpartum depression and the odds of maternal corporal punishment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Corporal punishment is closely related to physical abuse of children and is associated with several negative characteristics and experiences in children and youths. This study examined the relative unique contribution of 6 variables (social support, socioeconomic status, depression, self-efficacy, knowledge of child development, and history of postpartum depression) to maternal corporal punishment of children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 76 mothers was dichotomized into those who never spanked or hit with an object and those who have spanked or hit with an object. The mothers were recruited from a community mental health agency, an urban community center, and a court of common pleas. The measures in the present study were administered prior to mothers' participation in a parent training program. Mothers referred by the court of common pleas were mandated to participate in the parent training program, and the mothers from the community mental health agency and the urban community center volunteered to participate in the parent training program. However, all participants voluntarily completed the research measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Binary logistic regression identified postpartum depression as the only variable to significantly increase the odds of corporal punishment (odds ratio = 6.307, 95% confidence interval = 1.098-36.214, p = .039).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings demonstrate increased odds of corporal punishment among a high-risk sample of women with postpartum depression. The generalizability of these findings may be limited to low socioeconomic class and White and African American mothers enrolled in parent-training programs. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosenberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Sajjad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarwar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Vikas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mangewala
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Klag
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011678:Punishment / Q000523:psychology*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012923:Social Class; D012944:Social Support