Department of Communication, Georgia State University.
Department of Communication Studies, University of Georgia.
Health Commun. 2022 Oct;37(11):1413-1422. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2021.1895418. Epub 2021 Mar 8.
Child corporal punishment is a prevalent public health problem in the US. Although corporal punishment is sustained through parents' perceptions of social norms supporting this discipline behavior, little research has investigated where these normative perceptions come from. To fill this gap, we conducted 13 focus groups including 75 low-income Black, Latino, and White parents across five states in the US. Results revealed that one influential source of Black and White parents' perceived norms was their positive framing of corporal punishment experiences during childhood. Furthermore, Black parents formed normative perceptions based on identification with parents in their racial/ethnic group, while White parents did so with parents sharing the same generation. Results are interpreted in light of the false consensus effect and self-categorization theory. In contrast, Latino parents viewed their childhood experience of corporal punishment as negative and distanced their parenting practices from those practiced in their countries of origin, suggesting an influence of acculturation. Their perceived norms were likely transmitted through interpersonal communication within their social networks. These findings shed light on how social norms are formed and in turn guide parents' use of corporal punishment as a tool to discipline children.
儿童体罚在美国是一个普遍存在的公共卫生问题。尽管体罚是通过父母对支持这种纪律行为的社会规范的认知来维持的，但很少有研究调查这些规范认知从何而来。为了填补这一空白，我们在美国五个州进行了 13 个焦点小组，包括 75 名低收入的黑人和拉丁裔以及白人父母。研究结果表明，黑人和白人父母对规范的感知的一个重要来源是他们对童年时期体罚经历的积极描述。此外，黑人父母基于对自己种族/族群中父母的认同来形成规范认知，而白人父母则基于与同一代父母的认同。研究结果从虚假共识效应和自我分类理论的角度进行了解释。相比之下，拉丁裔父母认为他们童年时期的体罚经历是负面的，并将他们的育儿方式与他们原籍国的做法区分开来，这表明了文化适应的影响。他们的规范认知可能是通过他们社交网络中的人际交流传播的。这些发现揭示了社会规范是如何形成的，进而指导父母将体罚作为管教孩子的工具。
