Violence between parents or in the community increases risk of child punishment

Exposure to higher rates of violence in the larger social context may spill over to family violence, including caregivers’ use of physical child abuse, according to a new University of Michigan study published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect.

Researchers explored how violence at a societal level, such as acts of terrorism, political conflict and homicide, might influence how parents discipline their children, specifically through physical means.

“It’s based on the idea that when violence is common in society, it can become a norm and seep into family life,” said Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, one of the study’s senior authors and U-M professor of social work.

The team expected to find a direct link between widespread violence and harsh parenting, even after accounting for cultural beliefs that justify such behavior. They discovered that while there isn’t a straight-line connection, societal violence does indirectly affect parenting styles.

“This implies that reducing violence in society might also help reduce physical abuse in homes,” he said.

Worldwide, about 6 in 10 children in low- and middle-income countries are subjected to parental violence, such as beating a child, hitting with an object, slapping, spanking or psychological aggression.

Researchers used data from more than 435,000 households with a child aged one to 17 across 43 countries from UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Responses did not include households in the United States.

They calculated the extent to which country-level violence—measured by rates of terrorism and political conflict, homicide and women’s exposure to domestic violence—was associated with the use of severe and moderate physical abuse. Respondents were asked whether in the preceding month, any adult in the household had physically abused a child.

Grogan-Kaylor said programs seeking to reduce abusive parenting in low- and middle-income countries might be successful if they focus on changing attitudes that support domestic violence and physical punishment of children. These programs should also consider how to help families and parents cope with the impact of broader, widespread violence on individuals and families, he said.

The study’s co-authors include Kaitlin Ward, research affiliate at the U-M School of Social Work; Julie Ma, associate professor of social work at UM-Flint; Elizabeth Boyle, professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota; Garrett Pace, assistant professor of social work at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Olivia Chang, doctoral student in the U-M Joint Doctoral Program of psychology and social work.