Are black parents more likely to use corporal punishment?
A 2015 Pew Research survey found that black parents are more than twice as likely as white and Latino parents to use corporal punishment on a regular basis, and they are far less likely to never spank their children. But while hitting children is prevalent in black communities, contrary to popular belief, it is not an intrinsic cultural tradition.
How often do black parents give spankings?
Black parents are more likely than white or Hispanic parents to say they give spankings at least some of the time: one-third say this, compared with 14% of white parents and 19% of Hispanic parents.
Do Hispanic parents praise their kids too much?
Across racial and ethnic groups, Hispanics are more likely than white or black parents to say they sometimes praise their kids too much; 42% of Hispanic parents say this, compared with about three-in-ten white (30%) and black (31%) parents.
How does parental discipline differ across demographics?
For the most part, reliance on other methods of discipline does not vary as much across demographic groups, but white parents with children younger than 6 are more likely than black and Hispanic parents with children in the same age group to say they often give “timeouts” as a form of discipline (50% vs. 33% and 27%, respectively).
Adverse Impact
Black children are more likely to be assaulted, seriously injured or killed by a family member than by the police or a neighborhood watchman. Yearly statistics consistently show that black children are mistreated and killed at significantly higher rates than white and Latino children (e.g., DHHS, 2016). Ample scientific evidence demonstrates the lo...
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Historical Roots of Corporal Punishment in Black Communities
Implications For Professionals
Cultural competency means that professionals develop the ability to translate and communicate the intersections between historical trauma and the research on child development, the effects of physical discipline on the developing brain, and the connections between family violence and racial disparities in education, foster care and juvenile justice — all while offering healthier paren…
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References
Coley, R.L., Kull, M.A., & Carrano, J. (2014). Parental endorsement of spanking and children’s internalizing and externalizing problems in African-American and Hispanic families. Journal of Family Psychology©, 28, 22-31. Diptee, A.A., (2006). African Children in the British Slave Trade During the Late Eighteenth Century. Slavery & Abolition, 27,183–96. Fluke, J., Harden, B.J., Jenki…
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Author Bio
Stacey Patton, PhD, is an award-winning child advocate, journalist, assistant professor of multimedia journalism at Morgan State University and author of "Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won’t Save Black America." She completed her doctoral training in African-American history at Rutgers University.
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