Physical discipline as a normative childhood experience in Singapore

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health

Research

Michelle Z. L Kee¹  Johan Gunnar Eriksson²  Michael J. Meaney³  Anne Rifkin-Graboi⁴  Fabian Yap⁵  Helen Chen⁶  Winnie W. Y. Chau⁷  Henning Tiemeier⁸  Ying Qing Won⁹  Peipei Setoh⁹  Mioko Sudo⁹ 

[1] Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), 30 Medical Drive, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), 117609, Singapore, Singapore;Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), 30 Medical Drive, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), 117609, Singapore, Singapore;Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Human Potential Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Medical Dr, 117597, Singapore, Singapore;Human Potential Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Medical Dr, 117597, Singapore, Singapore;Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Tukholmankatu 8 B, 00290, Helsinki, Finland;Public Health Research Program, Folkhälsan Research Center, Topeliuksenkatu 20, 00250, Helsinki, Finland;Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), 30 Medical Drive, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), 117609, Singapore, Singapore;Sackler Program for Epigenetics & Psychobiology, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875 Boulevard LaSalle, H4H 1R3, Montréal, QC, Canada;Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875 Boulevard LaSalle, H4H 1R3, Montréal, QC, Canada;Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, 637616, Singapore, Singapore;Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, 229899, Singapore, Singapore;Academic Medicine Department, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Rd, 169857, Singapore, Singapore;Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 59 Nanyang Dr, 636921, Singapore, Singapore;Department of Psychological Medicine, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, 229899, Singapore, Singapore;Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Rd, 169857, Singapore, Singapore;Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, 9 Arts Link, 117570, Singapore, Singapore;Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, 677 Huntington Ave, 02115, Boston, MA, USA;Psychology Division, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 48 Nanyang Ave, 639818, Singapore, Singapore;

关键词: Physical;    Corporal;    Discipline;    Singapore;    Parenting;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13034-023-00632-9

 received in 2022-12-07, accepted in 2023-06-21,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe cultural normativeness theory posits that specific parenting behaviors can be interpreted as displays of appropriate parenting in contexts where they are deemed normative. Previous studies suggest high acceptance of physical discipline in Singapore, where strict parenting could be interpreted as care for the child. However, there is a lack of studies on the local prevalence and implications of physical discipline. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Singaporean children experiencing parental physical discipline, longitudinal changes in this prevalence, and how exposure to physical discipline relates to children’s evaluation of their parents’ parenting.MethodsParticipants were 710 children with parental reports of physical discipline at one or more assessments at ages 4.5, 6, 9, and 11 years in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes birth cohort study. Parental reports of physical discipline were obtained using the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire or the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire across the four assessments. Child reports of their parents’ care and control were obtained using the Parental Bonding Instrument for Children at the age 9 assessment. Prevalence was specified as being exposed to at least one physical discipline at any frequency. A generalized linear mixed model was performed to examine whether children’s age predicted their exposure to physical discipline. Linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate whether children’s exposure to physical discipline predicted their evaluation of their parents’ parenting.ResultsThe prevalence of children experiencing at least one physical discipline was above 80% at all ages. There was a decrease in this prevalence from age 4.5 to 11 years (B = − 0.14, SE = 0.01, OR = 0.87, p < 0.001). The more frequent the paternal physical discipline children were exposed to, the more likely they were to report lower levels of care (B = − 1.74, SE = 0.66, p = 0.03) and higher levels of denial of psychological autonomy by fathers (B = 1.05, SE = 0.45, p = 0.04). Maternal physical discipline was not significantly associated with children’s evaluation of their mothers’ parenting (ps ≥ 0.53).ConclusionsPhysical discipline was a common experience among our Singaporean sample, consistent with the notion that strict parenting could be regarded as a form of care. However, exposure to physical discipline did not translate to children reporting their parents as caring, with paternal physical discipline being negatively associated with children’s evaluations of paternal care.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

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