Physical Discipline Among African American and European American Mothers: Links to Children's Externalizing Behaviors

The aim of this study was to test whether the relation between physical discipline and child aggression was moderated by ethnic-group status. A sample of 466 European American and 100 African American children from a broad range of socioeconomic levels were followed from kindergarten through 3rd gra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychology 1996-11, Vol.32 (6), p.1065-1072
Main Authors: Deater-Deckard, Kirby, Dodge, Kenneth A, Bates, John E, Pettit, Gregory S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Aggression
Aggressiveness
Behavior Problems
Biological and medical sciences
Black American people
Black People
Blacks
Child Behavior
Child clinical studies
Child Discipline
Child psychology
Children
Children & youth
Comparison
Corporal Punishment
Discipline
Elementary School Students
Elementary School Teachers
European American people
European Americans
Externalization
Externalizing behaviour
Female
Human
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Medical sciences
Minority & ethnic groups
Mothers
Parent Child Relationship
Primary Education
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Racial and Ethnic Differences
Racial Differences
Relationship
Smacking
Social behavior disorders
White People
Whites
Young Children
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Summary:The aim of this study was to test whether the relation between physical discipline and child aggression was moderated by ethnic-group status. A sample of 466 European American and 100 African American children from a broad range of socioeconomic levels were followed from kindergarten through 3rd grade. Mothers reported their use of physical discipline in interviews and questionnaires, and mothers, teachers, and peers rated children's externalizing problems annually. The interaction between ethnic status and discipline was significant for teacher- and peer-rated externalizing scores; physical discipline was associated with higher externalizing scores, but only among European American children. These findings provide evidence that the link between physical punishment and child aggression may be culturally specific.
ISSN:0012-1649
1939-0599
DOI:10.1037/0012-1649.32.6.1065