ABSTRACT

Child corporal punishment is a prevalent public health problem in the US. Although corporal punishment is sustained through parents’ perceptions of social norms supporting this discipline behavior, little research has investigated where these normative perceptions come from. To fill this gap, we conducted 13 focus groups including 75 low-income Black, Latino, and White parents across five states in the US. Results revealed that one influential source of Black and White parents’ perceived norms was their positive framing of corporal punishment experiences during childhood. Furthermore, Black parents formed normative perceptions based on identification with parents in their racial/ethnic group, while White parents did so with parents sharing the same generation. Results are interpreted in light of the false consensus effect and self-categorization theory. In contrast, Latino parents viewed their childhood experience of corporal punishment as negative and distanced their parenting practices from those practiced in their countries of origin, suggesting an influence of acculturation. Their perceived norms were likely transmitted through interpersonal communication within their social networks. These findings shed light on how social norms are formed and in turn guide parents’ use of corporal punishment as a tool to discipline children.

摘要

儿童体罚是美国普遍存在的公共卫生问题。尽管体罚是通过父母对支持这种纪律行为的社会规范的看法来维持的，但很少有研究调查这些规范看法的来源。为了填补这一空白，我们在美国五个州开展了 13 个焦点小组，包括 75 名低收入黑人、拉丁裔和白人父母。结果显示，黑人和白人父母感知规范的一个有影响力的来源是他们对童年时期的体罚经历的积极塑造。此外，黑人父母基于对他们种族/族裔群体中父母的认同形成了规范性认知，而白人父母则与同一代人的父母一起这样做。根据错误的共识效应和自我分类理论来解释结果。相比之下，拉丁裔父母认为他们童年时期的体罚经历是消极的，并将他们的养育方式与原籍国的方式保持距离，这表明文化适应的影响。他们感知到的规范很可能是通过社交网络中的人际交流传播的。这些发现揭示了社会规范是如何形成的，进而指导父母使用体罚作为管教孩子的工具。他们感知到的规范很可能是通过社交网络中的人际交流传播的。这些发现揭示了社会规范是如何形成的，进而指导父母使用体罚作为管教孩子的工具。他们感知到的规范很可能是通过社交网络中的人际交流传播的。这些发现揭示了社会规范是如何形成的，进而指导父母使用体罚作为管教孩子的工具。