Caregiver preferences for physically harsh discipline of children in rural Uganda
PSPE
- Satinsky, Emily N. Center for Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
- Kakuhikire, Bernard Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda
- Baguma, Charles Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda
- Cooper-Vince, Christine E. ORCID Départment de Psychiatrie, Universitié de Genève, Switzerland
- Rasmussen, Justin D. Department of Psychology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Ashaba, Scholastic Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda
- Perkins, Jessica M. Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Ahereza, Phionah Mbarara University of Science and Technology,
- Ayebare, Patience Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda
- Kim, Andrew W. Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
- Puffer, Eve S. Department of Psychology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Tsai, Alexander C. Center for Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- 2024
Published in:
- Journal of Family Violence. - Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2024, vol. 39, p. 861-874
English
Purpose: Physically harsh discipline is associated with poor developmental outcomes among children. These practices are more prevalent in areas experiencing poverty and resource scarcity, including in low- and middle-income countries. Designed to limit social desirability bias, this cross-sectional study in rural Uganda estimated caregiver preferences for physically harsh discipline; differences by caregiver sex, child sex, and setting; and associations with indicators of household economic stress and insecurity.
Method: Three-hundred-fifty adult caregivers were shown six hypothetical pictographic scenarios depicting children whining, spilling a drink, and kicking a caregiver. Girls and boys were depicted engaging in each of the three behaviors. Approximately half of the participants were shown scenes from a market setting and half were shown scenes from a household setting. For each scenario, caregivers reported the discipline strategy they would use (time out, beating, discussing, yelling, ignoring, slapping).
Results: Two thirds of the participants selected a physically harsh discipline strategy (beating, slapping) at least once. Women selected more physically harsh discipline strategies than men (b = 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26 to 0.54). Participants shown scenes from the market selected fewer physically harsh discipline strategies than participants shown scenes from the household (b = -0.51; 95% CI, -0.69 to -0.33). Finally, caregivers selected more physically harsh discipline strategies in response to boys than girls. Indicators of economic insecurity were inconsistently associated with preferences for physically harsh discipline.
Conclusions: The high prevalence of physically harsh discipline preferences warrant interventions aimed at reframing caregivers' approaches to discipline.
Method: Three-hundred-fifty adult caregivers were shown six hypothetical pictographic scenarios depicting children whining, spilling a drink, and kicking a caregiver. Girls and boys were depicted engaging in each of the three behaviors. Approximately half of the participants were shown scenes from a market setting and half were shown scenes from a household setting. For each scenario, caregivers reported the discipline strategy they would use (time out, beating, discussing, yelling, ignoring, slapping).
Results: Two thirds of the participants selected a physically harsh discipline strategy (beating, slapping) at least once. Women selected more physically harsh discipline strategies than men (b = 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26 to 0.54). Participants shown scenes from the market selected fewer physically harsh discipline strategies than participants shown scenes from the household (b = -0.51; 95% CI, -0.69 to -0.33). Finally, caregivers selected more physically harsh discipline strategies in response to boys than girls. Indicators of economic insecurity were inconsistently associated with preferences for physically harsh discipline.
Conclusions: The high prevalence of physically harsh discipline preferences warrant interventions aimed at reframing caregivers' approaches to discipline.
- Faculty
- Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines
- Department
- Département de Psychologie
- Language
-
- English
- License
-
CC BY
- Open access status
- hybrid
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1007/s10896-023-00536-4
- ISSN 0885-7482
- Persistent URL
- https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/336262
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