The effect of physician--parent discussions and a brief intervention on caregivers' plan to discipline: is it time for a new approach?

Consecutive English- or Spanish-speaking caregivers of 1- to 5-year-old children were randomized to view a multimedia program (approximately 5-10 minutes) in a pediatric primary care clinic. After the clinic visit, 258/259 caregivers participated in a brief personal interview. In the multivariate logistic model, caregivers were more likely to have been assisted in their plans to discipline if they had had a discussion about discipline with their physician (odds ratio [OR] = 4.93; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-22.46), viewed the multimedia program (OR = 259.29; 95% CI = 56.56-1188.61), or viewed the multimedia program and had had a discussion with their physician (OR = 507.05; 95% CI = 86.81-2961.45) than if they had had no discussion and had not viewed the multimedia program. In addition to face-to-face discussions, routinely viewed educational material may help teach caregivers about discipline. The results have implications for improving primary care services, child abuse prevention, and violence prevention.