Citation

Berlin LJ, Ispa JM, Fine MA, Malone PS, Brooks-Gunn J, Brady-Smith C, Ayoub C, Bai Y. Child Dev. 2009; 80(5): 1403-1420.

Affiliation

Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. ljberlin@duke.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01341.x

PMID

19765008

PMCID

PMC2987237

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of spanking and verbal punishment in 2,573 low-income White, African American, and Mexican American toddlers at ages 1, 2, and 3. Both spanking and verbal punishment varied by maternal race/ethnicity. Child fussiness at age 1 predicted spanking and verbal punishment at all 3 ages. Cross-lagged path analyses indicated that spanking (but not verbal punishment) at age 1 predicted child aggressive behavior problems at age 2 and lower Bayley mental development scores at age 3. Neither child aggressive behavior problems nor Bayley scores predicted later spanking or verbal punishment. In some instances, maternal race/ethnicity and/or emotional responsiveness moderated the effects of spanking and verbal punishment on child outcomes.

Language: en