Trends in Corporal Punishment and Attitudes in Favour of This Practice: Toward a Change in Societal Norms
Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
8 December 2014
Abstract
Over 10 years ago, Quebec's statistical institute, the Institut de la Statistique du Québec, conducted its first population survey on family violence in the lives of children. Taken again 5 years later (2004), the survey showed a decrease in the use of corporal punishment of children. This paper presents the results of the third survey, which was conducted by telephone in 2012 with a representative sample of 4,029 maternal figures. More specifically, this paper presents the evolution of prevalence rates for corporal punishment and attitudes in favour of this practice as observed between the 3 surveys conducted in 1999, 2004, and 2012. The paper also presents the associations found between mothers’ attitudes and their reports of corporal punishment. The results show that attitudes and practices are closely associated and that corporal punishment has been in a constant and significant decrease since 1999, regardless of the children's age. Supported by a decrease in maternal attitudes in favour of this practice, the results are discussed in terms of changes in Quebec's social norms.
Résumé
Il y a plus de 10 ans, l'Institut de la statistique du Québec réalisait la première enquête de population sur la violence familiale dans la vie des enfants. Reprise 5 ans plus tard, l'enquête avait montré une diminution du recours aux punitions corporelles envers les enfants. Cet article vise à présenter les résultats de la troisième enquête réalisée en mode téléphonique en 2012 auprès d'un échantillon représentatif de 4 029 figures maternelles. Plus particulièrement, l'article présente l’évolution des taux de prévalence des punitions corporelles et des attitudes en faveur de cette pratique telle qu'observée entre les 3 enquêtes réalisées en 1999, 2004 et 2012. Dans un second temps, l'article montre la présence de liens étroits entre les attitudes maternelles et les conduites de punitions corporelles ainsi qu'une diminution constante et significative du recours aux punitions corporelles envers les enfants, et peu importe leur âge. Appuyées par une diminution des attitudes en faveur de cette pratique, les résultats sont discutés en termes de changements de normes sociales au Québec.
Formats available
You can view the full content in the following formats:
References
Afifi T. O. Child maltreatment in Canada: An understudied public health problem Canadian Journal of Public Health 2011 102 6 459 -462
Afifi T. O., Mota N. P., Dasiewicz P., MacMillan H. L., and Sareen J. Physical punishment and mental disorders: Results from a nationally representative US sample Pediatrics 2012 130 2 1 -11
American Academy of Pediatrics Guidance for effective discipline Pediatrics 1998 101 4 723 -728
Ateah C. A. and Durrant J. Maternal use of physical punishment in response to child misbehavior: Implications for child abuse prevention Child Abuse & Neglect 2005 29 169 -185
Ateah C. A. and Parkin C. M. Childhood experiences with, and current attitudes toward, corporal punishment Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health 2002 21 1 35 -46
Bavoleck, S. J. (1984). Handbook for the adult-adolescent parenting inventory (AAPI). Schaumburg: Family Development Associates.
Bell T. and Romano E. Opinions about child corporal punishment and influencing factors Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2012 27 11 2208 -2229
Bensley L., Ruggles D., Simmons K. W., Harrise C., Williams K., Putvin T., and Allene M. General population norms about child abuse and neglect and associations with childhood experiences Child Abuse & Neglect 2004 28 12 1321 -1337
Berlin L. J., Ispa J. M., Fine M. A., Malone P. S., Brooks-Gunn J., Brady-Smith C., and Bai Y. Correlates and consequences of spanking and verbal punishment for low-income White, African American, and Mexican American toddlers Child Development 2009 80 5 1403 -1420
Bernard P. M. and Lapointe C. Mesures statistiques en épidémiologie. Sainte-Foy: Presses de l'Université du Québec. Canadian Paediatric Society. (2004). Une discipline efficace auprès des enfants Pediatric Child Health 1995 9 1 37 -41
Caron J. L’Échelle de provisions sociales: une validation québécoise Santé mentale au Québec 1996 21 2 158 -180
Chamberland, C. (2003). Violence parentale et violence conjugale. Des réalités plurielles, multidimensionnelles et interreliées. Sainte-Foy: Presses de l'Université du Québec.
Clément M.-È. La violence physique envers les enfants: Le cas particulier de la punition corporelle Revue de Psychoéducation 2011 40 1 121 -134
Clément, M.-È., Bernèche, F., Chamberland, C., & Fontaine, C. (2013). La violence familiale dans la vie des enfants du Québec, 2012. Sainte-Foy: Institut de la Statistique du Québec.
Clément M.-E. and Bouchard C. Predicting the use of single versus multiple types of violence towards children in a representative sample of Quebec families Child Abuse & Neglect 2005 29 10 1121 -1139
Clément, M.-È., Bouchard, C., Jetté, M., & Laferrière, S. (2000). La violence familiale dans la vie des enfants du Québec, 1999. Québec: Institut de la Statistique du Québec.
Clément M.-E. and Chamberland C. Physical violence and psychological aggression towards children: Fiveyear trends in practices and attitudes from two population surveys Child Abuse & Neglect 2007 31 9 1001 -1011
Clément M.-E. and Chamberland C. The role of parental stress, mother's childhood abuse and perceived consequences of violence in predicting attitudes and attribution in favor of corporal punishment Journal of Child and Family Studies 2009 18 2 163 -171
Clément, M.-È., Chamberland, C., Côté, L., Dubeau, D., & Beauvais, B. (2005). La violence familiale dans la vie des enfants du Québec, 2005. Sainte-Foy: Institut de la Statistique du Québec.
Clément M.-È., Dufour S., Chamberland C., and Dubeau D. Description et analyse des attitudes et attributions paternelles favorables à la punition corporelle Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science 2009 41 1 11 -21
Coalition Canadienne pour les droits des enfants. (2009). L'intérêt supérieur de l'enfant: signification et mise en application au canada. Toronto: Coalition Canadienne pour les droits des enfants.
Cutrona C. E. Social support and stress in the transition to parenthood Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1984 93 4 378 -390
Daro, D. (1998). Public opinion and behaviors regarding child abuse prevention: 1998 survey. Washington, DC: The Center on Child Abuse Prevention Research.
Daro D. and Gelles R. J. Public attitudes and behaviors with respect to child abuse prevention Journal of Interpersonal Violence 1992 7 4 517 -531
Dufour S., Clément M.-È., Chamberland C., and Dubeau D. Child abuse in a disciplinary context: A typology of violent family environments Journal of Family Violence 2011 26 8 595 -606
Durrant, J. E., & Ensom, R. (2004). Les punitions corporelles et les enfants Feuillet du CEPB#7F. Ottawa: Ligue pour le bien-être de l'enfance du Canada.
Durrant J. E., Sigvaldason N., and Bednar L. What did the Canadian public learn from the 2004 Supreme Court decision on physical punishment?, International Journal of Children s Rights 2008 16 2 229 -247
Durrant J. E., Trocmé N., Fallon B., Milne C., and Black T. Protection of children from physical maltreatment in Canada: An evaluation of the Supreme Court's definition of reasonable force, Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma 2009 18 1 64 -87
Emery R. E. and Laumann-Billings L. An overview of the nature, causes, and consequences of abusive family relationships: Toward differentiating maltreatment and violence American Psychologist 1998 53 2 121 -135
Fortin A., Chamberland C., and Lachance L. La justification de la violence envers l'enfant: un facteur de risque de violence, Revue internationale d ducation familiale 2000 4 2 5 -34
Fortin A. and Lachance L. Mesure de la justification de la violence envers l'enfant: étude de validation auprès d'une population québécoise Les Cahiers Internationaux de Psychologie Sociale 1996 31 91 -103
Fréchette, S., & Romano, E. (2012). Change in the prevalence of corporal punishment over a 14-yer period in a representative sample of Canadian parents. Edmonton: International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development.
Gagné M.-H., Tourigny M., Joly J., and Pouliot-Lapointe J. Predictors of adult attitudes toward corporal punishment of children Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2007 22 10 1285 -1304
Gershoff E. T. Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: A meta-analytic and theoretical review Psychological Bulletin 2002 128 4 539 -579
Gershoff E. T., Lansford J. E., Sexton H. R., Davis-Kean P., and Sameroff A. J. Longitudinal links between spanking and children's externalizing behaviors in a national sample of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American families Child Development 2012 83 3 838 -843
Gouvernement du Québec. (2008). La politique familiale au Québec: vise, portée, durée et rayonnement. Quebec C ity: Conseil de la famille et de l'enfance, Gouvernement du Québec.
Grogan-Kaylor A. The effect of corporal punishment on antisocial behavior in children Social Work Research 2004 28 3 153 -163
Institut de la Statistique du Québec. (2009). Données sociales du Québec: Édition 2009. Quebec City: Author.
Institut de la Statistique du Québec, en collaboration avec l'Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec et le Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux du Québec. (2011). Guide spécifique des aspects méthodologiques des données d'enquêtes sociosanitaires du Plan commun de surveillance – Enquête sur la santé dans les collectivités canadiennes cycles 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 et 2007–2008. Quebec City: Gouvernement du Québec.
Institut de la Statistique du Québec. (2013). Panorama des régions du Québec: Édition 2013. Quebec City: Author.
Jack S. M. The role of public health in addressing child maltreatment in Canada Chronic Diseases in Canada 2010 31 1 39 -44
Jackson S. J., Thompson R. A., Christiansen E. H., Colman R. A., Wyatt J., Buckendahl C. W., and Peterson R. Predicting abuse-prone parental attitudes and discipline practices in a nationally representative sample Child Abuse & Neglect 1999 23 1 15 -29
Jamal F., Dufour S., and Clément M.-È. Liens entre la légitimité perçue de la violence subie dans l'enfance de pères québécois et violence actuelle vécue par leurs enfants dans la famille Revue de Psychoéducation 2011 40 2 175 -190
Larzelere R. E. Child outcomes of nonabusive and customary physical punishment by parents: An updated literature review Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review 2000 3 4 199 -221
Machado C., Gonçalves M., Matos M., and Dias A. R. Child and partner abuse: Self-reported prevalence and attitudes in the north of Portugal Child Abuse & Neglect 2007 31 6 657 -670
Mulvaney M. and Mebert C. Parental corporal punishment predicts behavior problems in early childhood Journal of Family Psychology 2007 21 3 389 -397
Oldershaw, L. (2002). A national survey of parents of young children. Toronto: Invest in Kids.
Organisation des Nations-Unies. (2006). La violence contre les enfants. Geneva: Étude du secrétaire général des Nations-Unis.
Organisation Mondiale de la Santé. (2002). Rapport mondial sur la violence et la santé. Geneva: Author.
Paolucci E. O. and Violato C. A meta-analysis of the published research on the affective, cognitive, and behavioral effects of corporal punishment Journal of Psychology 2004 138 3 197 -221
Paquette D., Bigras M., and Crepaldi M. A. La violence: Un jugement de valeur sur les rapports de pouvoir Revue de Psychoéducation 2010 39 2 247 -276
Robinson D. H., Funk D. C., Beth A., and Bush A. M. Changing beliefs about corporal punishment: Increasing knowledge about ineffectiveness to build more consistent moral and informational beliefs Journal of Behavioral Education 2005 14 2 117 -139
Rodriguez C. M. Parent-child aggression: Association with child abuse potential and parenting styles Violence and Victims 2010 25 6 728 -741
Rodriguez C. M. and Sutherland D. Predictors of parents’ physical disciplinary practices Child Abuse & Neglect 1999 23 7 651 -657
Sanders M. R. Adopting a public health approach to the delivery of evidence-based parenting interventions Canadian Psychology 2010 51 1 17 -23
Scholer S. J., Hamilton E. C., Johnson M. C., and Scott T. A brief intervention may affect parents’ attitudes toward using less physical punishment Community Health 2010 33 2 106 -116
Stith S. M., Liu T., Davies L. C., Boykin E. L., Alder M. C., Harris J. M., and Dees J. E. M. E. G. Risk factors in child maltreatment: A meta-analytic review of the literature Aggression and Violent Behavior 2009 14 1 13 -29
Straus M. A. The special issue on prevention of violence ignores the primordial violence Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2008 23 9 1314 -1320
Straus M. A., Hamby S. L., Finkelhor D., Moore D. W., and Runyan D. K. Identification of child maltreatment with the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales: Development and psychometric data for a national sample of American parents Child Abuse & Neglect 1998 22 4 249 -270
Straus M. A. and Paschall M. J. Corporal punishment by mothers and development of children's cognitive ability: A longitudinal study of two nationally representative age cohorts, Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma 2009 18 5 459 -483
Taylor C. A., Manganello J. A., Lee S. J., and Rice J. C. Mothers’ spanking of 3-year-old children and subsequent risk of children's aggressive behavior Pediatrics 2010 125 5 1 -11
Theodore A. D., Chang J. J., Runyan D., Hunter W., Bangdiwala S. I., and Agans R. Epidemiologic features of the physical and sexual maltreatment of children in the Carolinas Pediatrics 2005 115 3 331 -337
Toronto Public Health. (2006). National survey of Canadian's knowledge on the law on physical punishment of children. Toronto: Author.
Tourigny M., Gagné M.-H., Joly J., and Chartrand M. Prévalence et cooccurrence de la violence envers les enfants dans la population québécoise Revue Canadienne De Santé Publique 2006 97 2 109 -113
Tourigny M., Hébert M., Joly J., Cyr M., and Baril K. Prevalence and co-occurrence of violence against children in the Quebec population Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2008 32 4 331 -335
Trocmé, N., Fallon, B., MacLaurin, B., Sinha, V., Black, T., Fast, E., … Holroyd, J. (2010). Étude canadienne sur l'incidence des signalements de cas de violence et de négligence envers les enfants-2008: Données principales. Ottawa: Agence de la santé publique du Canada.
Wiggins T. L., Sofronoff K., and Sanders M. R. Pathways Triple P-Positive Parenting Program: Effects on parent-child relationships and child behavior problems Family Process 2009 48 4 517 -530
Woodward L. J. and Fergusson D. M. Parent, child, and contextual predictors of childhood physical punishment Infant and Child Development 2002 11 3 213 -235
Zolotor A. J. and Puzia M. E. Bans against corporal punishment: A systematic review of the laws, changes in attitudes and behaviours Child Abuse Review 2010 19 4 229 -247
Zolotor A. J., Theodore A. D., Runyan D. K., Chang J. J., and Laskey A. L. Corporal punishment and physical abuse: Population-based trends for three-to-11-year-old children in the United States Child Abuse Review 2011 20 1 57 -66
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 33 • Number 2 • December 2014
Pages: 13 - 29
History
Version of record online: 8 December 2014
Key Words
Mots-clés
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Other Metrics
Citations
Cite As
ClémentMarie-Ève and ChamberlandClaire. 2014. Trends in Corporal Punishment and Attitudes in Favour of This Practice: Toward a Change in Societal Norms. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
33(2): 13-29. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2014-013
Export Citations
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
There are no citations for this item
View Options
View options
Login options
Check if you access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.
Subscribe
Click on the button below to subscribe to Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
