Parental Discipline and Physical Chastisement of Children
Research funded by: Office of the Minister for Children
The profound influence of parenting practices on children’s development has been widely documented, and a large body of research literature in the UK, US and Australia has focused on the links between parenting styles, parental discipline responses, child behaviour and children’s psychological well-being. Despite this, however, we have little available information about the prevalence of different parental discipline responses in Ireland nor of parental beliefs about and attitudes to the use of physical chastisement as a form of discipline with children. The proposed study aims to address these gaps in the Irish research context.
The primary aim of this project is to identify the main parenting styles and forms of discipline used by parents with children up to 18 years. A further aim of the research is to identify parental attitudes to the legislative position in relation to physical chastisement and children.
Specifically, the following questions will be addressed:
- What are the attitudes and child-rearing goals of parents in an Irish context?
- What parenting styles are used by parents in Ireland?
- What discipline strategies do parents use? Specifically, to what extent do parent use physical punishment as a method of discipline?
- Under what circumstances do parents employ certain approaches to discipline?
- To what extent are parents aware of the current legislative position on physical chastisement?
- What are parents’ perspectives on potential legislative change?
- How do attitudes and child-rearing goals of parents vary according to the age and gender of the child, ethnicity and family structure?
- How do parenting strategies and approaches to discipline vary according to the age and gender of the child, ethnicity and family structure?
Lead Researcher: Dr Ann-Marie Halpenny