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October 03, 2008
Study suggests mothers with depression may be more likely to spank their children regardless of child's behavior
Medscape (9/25, Busko) reported that a study of "a nationally representative sample of kindergarten-aged children and their mothers" suggests that "women who are both depressed and in physically abusive relationships are more than twice as likely as women who are not depressed or abused to spank their children, regardless of the child's behavior."
For the study, researchers "analyzed data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort." They judged which mothers "had clinically significant depressive symptoms based on their r esponses to a 12-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale questionnaire."
They found that, "compared with those with no depressive symptoms, mothers who were depressed were almost 60 percent more likely to spank their child; mothers who were both depressed and had violent arguments with their partners were 2.5 times more likely to spank their child." Moreover, the "risks of spanking remained the same after further adjustment for either positive or negative child behavior."
The study is published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Related Links:
- "Depressed, Abused Mothers More Likely to Spank Their Children," Marlene Busko, MedScape, September 25, 2008.
- ABSTRACT "The relationship between maternal depression, in-home violence and use of physical punishment: What is the role of child behaviour?," Silverstein M, Augustyn M, Young R, Zuckerman B., Disease in Childhood, September 11, 2008.
Posted by admin at October 3, 2008 12:37 PM