Family structure and use of corporal punishment by low income mothers

Corporal punishment (CP) is considered by most social scientists and helping professionals to be an undesirable disciplinary tactic. It is often assumed that single parents are at higher risk than married parents for using CP. It also appears that CP is especially prevalent among low income and/or some ethnic minority groups. One possible explanation for why CP is more common among low income and African American families is that such families are more likely to be headed by single mothers.;This study conducted a secondary analysis of the LONGSCAN baseline data to investigate the influence of family structure on the likelihood of CP in a low income, predominantly African American sample of mothers. LONGSCAN is a collaborative effort of five independent, prospective, longitudinal studies designed to investigate the causes and consequences of child abuse and neglect. Relationship quality and stability were also examined as possible predictors of CP. A number of potentially confounding factors were controlled for, such as child gender and birthweight; maternal demographics, mental health, and parenting attitudes; and extrafamilial influences such as neighborhood quality and social support.;The sample consisted of 619 birth mothers. A little more than two-thirds of the sample identified as African American and about 30 percent identified as White, Hispanic, or Other. The sample was largely poor, with almost two-thirds of respondents receiving AFDC. About two-thirds of mothers in this sample were married (63%); one fifth were continuously married, and 17% divorced or remarried. The largest percent of respondents reported no father figure in the home (39%), followed by respondents living with the biological father of their child (28.3%), and mothers and children living with a grandparent (19.6%).;Spanking was almost universally reported in this sample and more than half of respondents reported other minor assaults such as shaking, slapping, and pushing. This is consistent with research indicating widespread use of CP in American families. Contrary to popular belief, this study found that maternal use of CP was most likely to occur in families with a biological father in the home. Likewise, indicators of maternal warmth as well as of maternal stress were associated with CP. Both of these findings support the notion that CP may be a normative parenting practice among low income groups.;Mothers living with surrogate father figures were more likely to engage in higher, potentially problematic levels of CP, consistent with prior research showing an elevated risk of child maltreatment in surrogate father families. However, for Whites, there was no difference in the likelihood of high minor assault between mothers with a biological father in the home or a surrogate father in the home. This difference might be explained by the fact that African American women are much less likely than White women to live with the biological father of their child. For African American women, co-residence with and/or marriage to the biological father may be an indication of a particularly strong relationship.;Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.