Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-kw2vx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-11T02:19:37.019Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reciprocal relations between parents' physical discipline and children's externalizing behavior during middle childhood and adolescence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2011

Jennifer E. Lansford ,
Michael M. Criss ,
Robert D. Laird ,
Daniel S. Shaw ,
Gregory S. Pettit ,
John E. Bates  and
Kenneth A. Dodge
Jennifer E. Lansford*
Affiliation:
Duke University
Michael M. Criss
Affiliation:
Oklahoma State University
Robert D. Laird
Affiliation:
University of New Orleans
Daniel S. Shaw
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Gregory S. Pettit
Affiliation:
Auburn University
John E. Bates
Affiliation:
Indiana University
Kenneth A. Dodge
Affiliation:
Duke University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jennifer E. Lansford, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University, Box 90545, Durham, NC 27708; E-mail: lansford@duke.edu.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Using data from two long-term longitudinal projects, we investigated reciprocal relations between maternal reports of physical discipline and teacher and self-ratings of child externalizing behavior, accounting for continuity in both discipline and externalizing over time. In Study 1, which followed a community sample of 562 boys and girls from age 6 to 9, high levels of physical discipline in a given year predicted high levels of externalizing behavior in the next year, and externalizing behavior in a given year predicted high levels of physical discipline in the next year. In Study 2, which followed an independent sample of 290 lower income, higher risk boys from age 10 to 15, mother-reported physical discipline in a given year predicted child ratings of antisocial behavior in the next year, but child antisocial behavior in a given year did not predict parents' use of physical discipline in the next year. In neither sample was there evidence that associations between physical discipline and child externalizing changed as the child aged, and findings were not moderated by gender, race, socioeconomic status, or the severity of the physical discipline. Implications for the reciprocal nature of the socialization process and the risks associated with physical discipline are discussed.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 23 , Issue 1 , February 2011 , pp. 225 - 238
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Integrative guide for the 1991 CBCL 14–18, YSR, and TRF profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2001). Manual for ASEBA School-Age Forms and Profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families.Google Scholar
Anderson, K. E., Lytton, H., & Romney, D. M. (1986). Mothers' interactions with normal and conduct-disordered boys: Who affects whom? Developmental Psychology, 22, 604–609.Google Scholar
Bell, R. Q. (1968). A reinterpretation of the direction of effects in studies of socialization. Psychological Review, 75, 81–95.Google Scholar
Bell, R. Q. (1977). Socialization findings re-examined. In Bell, R. Q. & Harper, R. V. (Eds.), Child effects on adults (pp. 53–84). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Belsky, J. (1984). The determinants of parenting: A process model. Child Development, 55, 83–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Campbell, S. B. (1990). Behavior problems in preschool children. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Catron, T. F., & Masters, J. C. (1993). Mothers' and children's conceptualizations of corporal punishment. Child Development, 64, 1815–1828.Google Scholar
Criss, M. M., & Shaw, D. S. (2005). Sibling relationships as contexts for delinquency training in low-income families. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 592–600.Google Scholar
Deater-Deckard, K., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1996). Physical discipline among African American and European American mothers: Links to children's externalizing behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 32, 1065–1072.Google Scholar
DeGarmo, D. S., & Forgatch, M. S. (2005). Early development of delinquency within divorced families: Evaluating a randomized preventive intervention trial. Developmental Science, 8, 229–239.Google Scholar
Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1990). Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. Science, 250, 1678–1683.Google Scholar
Dumas, J. E., & LaFreniere, P. J. (1993). Mother–child relationships as sources of support or stress: A comparison of competent, average, aggressive, and anxious dyads. Child Development, 64, 1732–1754.Google Scholar
Elliott, D. S., Huizinga, D., & Ageton, S. S. (1985). Explaining delinquency and drug use. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Eron, L. D., Huesmann, L. R., & Zelli, A. (1991). The role of parental variables in the learning of aggression. In Pepler, D. J. & Rubin, K. H. (Eds.), The development and treatment of childhood aggression (pp. 169–188). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Farrington, D. P., & Hawkins, J. D. (1991). Predicting participation, early onset and later persistence in officially recorded offending. Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, 1, 1–33.Google Scholar
Fine, S. E., Trentacosta, C. J., Izard, C. E., Mostow, A. J., & Campbell, J. L. (2004). Anger perception, caregivers' use of physical discipline, and aggression in children at risk. Social Development, 13, 213–228.Google Scholar
Flynn, C. P. (1994). Regional differences in attitudes toward corporal punishment. Journal of Marriage and Family, 56, 314–324.Google Scholar
Flynn, C. P. (1998). To spank or not to spank: The effect of situation and age of child on support for corporal punishment. Journal of Family Violence, 13, 21–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gershoff, E. T. (2002). Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: A meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 539–579.Google Scholar
Gross, H. E., Shaw, D. S., & Moilanen, K. L. (2008). Reciprocal associations between boys' externalizing problems and mothers' depressive symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 693–709.Google Scholar
Gunnoe, M. L., & Mariner, C. L. (1997). Toward a developmental–contextual model of the effects of parental spanking on children's aggression. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 151, 768–775.Google Scholar
Hartup, W. W. (1978). Perspectives on child and family interaction: Past, present, and future. In Lerner, R. M. & Spanier, G. B. (Eds.), Child influences on marital and family interaction: A life-span perspective (pp. 23–46). San Francisco, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Heinrichs, B. (2003). Self-reported delinquency (Fast Track Project Technical Report). Retrieved from http://www.fasttrackproject.orgGoogle Scholar
Hipwell, A., Keenan, K., Kasza, K., Loeber, R., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., & Bean, T. (2008). Reciprocal influences between girls' conduct problems and depression, and parental punishment and warmth: A six year prospective analysis. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 663–677.Google Scholar
Hollingshead, A. B. (1979). Four-Factor Index of Social Status. Unpublished manuscript, Yale University.Google Scholar
Huesmann, L. R., Eron, L. D., Lefkowitz, M., & Walder, L. O. (1984). Stability of aggression over time and generations. Developmental Psychology, 20, 1120–1134.Google Scholar
Ingoldsby, E. M., & Shaw, D. S. (2002). Neighborhood contextual factors and early-starting antisocial pathways. Clinical and Family Psychology Review, 5, 21–55.Google Scholar
Jaffee, S. R., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Polo-Tomas, M., Price, T. S., & Taylor, A. (2004). The limits of child effects: Evidence for genetically mediated child effects on corporal punishment but not on physical maltreatment. Developmental Psychology, 40, 1047–1058.Google Scholar
Kazdin, A. E. (1987). Treatment of antisocial behavior in children: Current status and future directions. Psychological Bulletin, 102, 187–203.Google Scholar
Laird, R. D., Pettit, G. S., Bates, J. E., & Dodge, K. A. (2003). Parents' monitoring-relevant knowledge and adolescents' delinquent behavior: Evidence of correlated developmental changes and reciprocal influences. Child Development, 74, 752–768.Google Scholar
Lansford, J. E., Chang, L., Dodge, K. A., Malone, P. S., Oburu, P., Palmérus, K., et al. (2005). Cultural normativeness as a moderator of the link between physical discipline and children's adjustment: A comparison of China, India, Italy, Kenya, Philippines, and Thailand. Child Development, 76, 1234–1246.Google Scholar
Lansford, J. E., Criss, M. M., Dodge, K. A., Shaw, D. S., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (2009). Trajectories of physical discipline: Antecedents and developmental outcomes. Child Development, 80, 1385–1402.Google Scholar
Lansford, J. E., Deater-Deckard, K., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (2004). Ethnic differences in the link between physical discipline and later adolescent externalizing behaviors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 801–812.Google Scholar
Larsson, H., Viding, E., & Rijsdijk, F. V. (2008). Relationships between parental negativity and childhood antisocial behavior over time: A bidirectional effects model in a longitudinal genetically informative design. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 633–645.Google Scholar
Larzelere, R. E. (2000). Child outcomes of nonabusive and customary physical punishment by parents: An updated literature review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 3, 199–221.Google Scholar
Loeber, R., & Dishion, T. J. (1983). Early predictors of male delinquency: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 94, 68–99.Google Scholar
Lytton, H. (1990). Child and parent effects in boys' conduct disorder: A reinterpretation. Developmental Psychology, 26, 683–697.Google Scholar
Martin, J. (1981). A longitudinal study of the consequences of early mother–infant interaction: A microanalytic approach. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 46 (3, Serial No. 190).Google Scholar
McCord, J. (1991). Questioning the value of punishment. Social Problems, 38, 167–179.Google Scholar
McLoyd, V. C., & Smith, J. (2002). Physical discipline and behavior problems in African American, European American, and Hispanic children: Emotional support as a moderator. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 40–53.Google Scholar
O'Connor, T. G., Deater-Deckard, K., Fulker, D., Rutter, M., & Plomin, R. (1998). Genotype–environment correlations in late childhood and early adolescence: Antisocial behavioral problems and coercive parenting. Developmental Psychology, 34, 970–981.Google Scholar
Pardini, D. A., Fite, P. J., & Burke, J. D. (2008). Bidirectional associations between parenting practices and conduct problems in boys from childhood to adolescence: The moderating effect of age and African–American ethnicity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 647–662.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patterson, G. R. (2002). The early development of coercive family process. In Reid, J. B., Patterson, G. R., & Snyder, J. (Eds.), Antisocial behavior in children and adolescents: A developmental analysis and model for intervention (pp. 25–44). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Patterson, G. R., Bank, L., & Stoolmiller, M. (1990). The preadolescent's contributions to disrupted family process. In Montemayor, R., Adams, G. R., & Gullotta, T. P. (Eds.), From childhood to adolescence: A transitional period (pp. 107–133). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Patterson, G. R., Reid, J. B., & Dishion, T. J. (1992). Antisocial boys. Eugene, OR: Castalia.Google Scholar
Patterson, G. R., Reid, J. B., Jones, R. R., & Conger, R. E. (1975). A social learning approach to family intervention: Vol. 1. Families with aggressive children. Eugene, OR: Castalia.Google Scholar
Patterson, G. R., & Yoerger, K. (2002). A developmental model for early- and late-onset delinquency. In Reid, J. B., Patterson, G. R., & Snyder, J. (Eds.). Antisocial behavior in children and adolescents: A developmental analysis and model for intervention (pp. 147–172). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Pettit, G. S., & Arsiwalla, D. D. (2008). Commentary on special section on “Bidirectional parent–child relationships”: The continuing evolution of dynamic, transactional models of parenting and youth behavior problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 711–718.Google Scholar
Pettit, G. S., Laird, R. D., Bates, J. E., Dodge, K. A., & Criss, M. M. (2001). Antecedents and behavior-problem outcomes of parental monitoring and psychological control in early adolescence. Child Development, 72, 583–598.Google Scholar
Sameroff, A. (1975). Transactional models in early social relations. Human Development, 18, 65–79.Google Scholar
Scarr, S., & McCartney, K. (1983). How people make their own environments: A theory of genotype greater than environment effects. Child Development, 54, 424–435.Google Scholar
Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7, 147–177.Google Scholar
Shaw, D. S., & Bell, R. Q. (1993). Developmental theories of parental contributors to antisocial behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 21, 493–518.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaw, D. S., Criss, M. M., Schonberg, M. A., & Beck, J. E. (2004). The development of family hierarchies and their relation to children's conduct problems. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 483–500.Google Scholar
Shaw, D. S., Winslow, E. B., Owens, E. B., Vondra, J. I., Cohn, J. F., & Bell, R. Q. (1998). The development of early externalizing problems among children from low-income families: A transformational perspective. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 95–107.Google Scholar
Sheehan, M. J., & Watson, M. W. (2008). Reciprocal influences between maternal discipline techniques and aggression in children and adolescents. Aggressive Behavior, 34, 245–255.Google Scholar
Stice, E., & Barrera, M. Jr. (1995). A longitudinal examination of the reciprocal relations between perceived parenting and adolescents' substance use and externalizing behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 31, 322–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vuchinich, S., Bank, L., & Patterson, G. R. (1992). Parenting, peers, and the stability of antisocial behavior in preadolescent boys. Developmental Psychology, 28, 510–521.Google Scholar
Webster-Stratton, C., & Reid, M. J. (2007). Incredible Years parents and teachers training series: A Head Start partnership to promote social competence and prevent conduct problems. In Tolan, P., Szapocznik, J., & Sambrano, S. (Eds.), Preventing youth substance abuse: Science-based programs for children and adolescents (pp. 67–88). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Weiss, B., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1992). Some consequences of early harsh discipline: Child aggression and a maladaptive social information processing style. Child Development, 63, 1321–1335.Google Scholar