Citation

Whaley AL. Cultur. Divers. Ethnic Minor. Psychol. 2000; 6(1): 5-12.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues; American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/1099-9809.6.1.5

PMID

10975163

Abstract

Given the diverse cultures that can shape parenting behavior, some basic assumptions regarding the links between parenting styles and developmental outcomes may not be universal. Although a positive correlation between the use of physical discipline (i.e., spanking) and disruptive disorders in children is found in studies of European American families, research on African American families has found a negative association or none at all. Moreover, a review of the literature indicates that the positive association between spanking and child behavior problems is bidirectional for White families, whereas it is the product of reverse causation (i.e., negative child behaviors result in spanking) in Black families. The implications of these sociocultural differences for parent training programs and the family study of disruptive behaviors are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

African Americans; Child Behavior Disorders; Cross-Cultural Comparison; European Continental Ancestry Group; Humans; Parenting; Punishment