The majority of U.S. children experience physical punishment from caregivers, and a smaller proportion experience physical abuse. While minor parent-to-child physical aggression (PCPA) is considered by some to be a standard part of discipline, others argue that even minor acts can be deleterious to mental and emotional health. Using data from the first two waves of a longitudinal, multi-level investigation of children's development, we present findings on the risk of psychiatric disorders in relation to PCPA. Subjects are 1,722 urban adolescents participating in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. For oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), 5.8% met criteria, 8.1% met criteria for major depression (MDD), and 5.0% for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Results differed by gender and increased with age. Multivariate logistic regression using baseline PCPA predicted ODD at two-year follow-up (odds ratio(OR)=3.1, 95% C.I.=1.7,5.7 for top quartile of PCPA, OR=2.1, 95% C.I.=1.1,4.1 for next highest PCPA, and OR=2.2, 95% C.I.=1.2,4.2 for third quartile), relative to the group with the lowest levels or no PCPA, controlling for age, ethnicity, parental education, and gender. PCPA was not significantly predictive of internalizing disorders (MDD or GAD) at follow-up, although odds ratios were in the expected direction. Results will also be presented from multi-level analyses incorporating witnessing of violence in the community and at home. As the recent Surgeon General's report on mental health estimated, one in 10 children has a mental illness severe enough to cause impairment in any given year. Evidence-based prevention recommendations for parenting are critical. See www.phdcn.harvard.edu
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify mental health problems that may result from parent-to-child physical aggression experienced by urban adolescents 2. Discuss violence experienced by urban youth at multiple levels, including witnessing of community violence, exposure to parental partner violence, as well as parent-to-child physical aggression 3. List evidence-based parenting recommendations for prevention of mental disorder
Keywords: Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Violence
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