Prediction of health, education, and psychosocial professionals' attitudes in favor of parental use of corporal punishment.

BACKGROUND

To date, there have been few studies pertaining to the knowledge and attitudes regarding the use of corporal punishment (CP) among professionals working with parents and children. Yet, many parents turn to these professionals for advice on child discipline.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to describe professionals' legal knowledge about parental use of CP and their attitudes toward this practice.

METHOD

A study was conducted among professionals working directly with children or their parents through an online questionnaire.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1,758 respondents from three sectors of training (psychosocial, health, education) completed the questionnaire.

RESULTS

The results showed that professionals have little knowledge of the legal guidelines surrounding the use of CP in Canada. This poor knowledge as well as the perceived impacts of CP on children acted as predictors of favorable attitudes toward this disciplinary practice. According to the regression analyses, other personal and professional factors also explain a person's approval of CP, including violence in childhood, religious practice, and sources of knowledge. The results also highlighted some findings related to the respondents' professional sectors.

CONCLUSIONS

The study results emphasize the need to better train professionals by targeting cognitive, personal, as well as professional factors.