Objectives. To examine the relationship of corporal punishment (CP) to changes in academic achievement test scores. Method. Data were from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth on 622 children ages 5-6 in 1992. CP was measured by its reported frequency "in the past week". Academic achievement was measured by the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT). Time 1 control variables included the 1992 PIAT score, child’s level of anti-social behavior, mother’s educational attainment, race and gender of child, mother's age at birth of child, father's presence in household, number of children in the household, and amount of emotional support and cognitive stimulation the child received. Results. Multiple regression analysis found that each increase of one unit in the four-unit CP scale at Time 1 was associated with an average decrease of 2.7 points in PIAT scores between Time 1 and Time 2, net of all other variables. Conclusions. The findings contribute to the growing body of empirical evidence that corporal punishment is an important public health issue. First, CP is inversely related to educational achievement - a major determinant of health status and health-related behaviors. Second, almost the entire range of adverse outcomes related to CP use (including decline in academic achievement) falls within the World Health Organization definition of health as “… a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being…”. Finally, CP is a behavior that is amenable to change through public health intervention such as education of parents and primary health care providers. See www.unh.edu/frl
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to: 1. Describe the prevalence and incidence of corporal punishment(CP)of children by parents. 2. Identify variations in CP use by major socio-demographic characteristics. 3. Assess why longitudinal studies are necessary to reach valid conclusions about the effects of CP. 4. Recognize that CP adversely affects the cognitive performance of children. 5. Discuss the public health implications of the adverse impact of CP on academic achievement and other maladaptive outcomes.
Keywords: Risk Factors, Children
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.