An Examination of Parents' Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) History and Reported Spanking of Their Child: Informing Child Maltreatment Prevention Efforts.

Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101238455 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1660-4601 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 16604601 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Environ Res Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Basel : MDPI, c2004-

Adverse Childhood Experiences* ; Child Abuse* ; Mental Disorders*; Adolescent ; Child ; Humans ; Physical Abuse ; Punishment/psychology

The current evidence indicates that spanking is harmful to children's health and development and should never be used by parents or other caregivers. However, the critical factors that inform effective spanking prevention strategies are still not well understood. The objective of the current study was to determine if a parent's own adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) history was associated with increased likelihood of reporting their child being spanked at age 10 or younger. Data were drawn from the Well-Being and Experiences Study (the WE Study), a community survey of parents and adolescents from 2017-2018 ( N = 1000) from Canada. The results indicated that a parent's own history of physical abuse, emotional abuse, spanking, and household mental illness in childhood were associated with an increased likelihood that their child would have been spanked. These findings indicate that a parent's ACEs history may be related to how their own child is parented and identify families who may be more likely to rely on spanking. Preventing physical punishment is necessary for healthy child development, reducing the risk of further violence, and upholding children's rights to protection. Parent's ACEs history may be an important factor to consider when developing and implementing child maltreatment prevention efforts.

Pediatrics. 2018 Dec;142(6):. (PMID: 30397164)
Child Youth Serv Rev. 2013 Aug 1;35(9):1476-1485. (PMID: 24019558)
J Nerv Ment Dis. 2006 Sep;194(9):676-83. (PMID: 16971819)
Pediatrics. 2013 Aug;132(2):e333-40. (PMID: 23858428)
Pediatrics. 2012 Aug;130(2):184-92. (PMID: 22753561)
Child Abuse Negl. 2017 Sep;71:44-55. (PMID: 28277271)
Prev Med. 2022 Feb;155:106928. (PMID: 34954240)
Child Abuse Negl. 2017 Sep;71:9-23. (PMID: 28162793)
Child Dev Perspect. 2013 Sep 1;7(3):133-137. (PMID: 24039629)
BMC Pediatr. 2020 Apr 21;20(1):178. (PMID: 32316954)
Can J Psychiatry. 2022 Apr;67(4):280-288. (PMID: 33686872)
Paediatr Child Health. 2019 Aug;24(5):340-357. (PMID: 31379438)
Child Abuse Negl. 2020 Aug;106:104504. (PMID: 32402816)
Child Abuse Negl. 2010 Sep;34(9):639-46. (PMID: 20638720)
Child Abuse Negl. 2017 Jul;69:10-19. (PMID: 28419887)
BMC Public Health. 2022 Mar 12;22(1):493. (PMID: 35279124)
Child Abuse Negl. 2014 Dec;38(12):1885-94. (PMID: 25466426)
Dev Psychopathol. 2019 Feb;31(1):23-51. (PMID: 30757994)
J Marriage Fam. 2016 Jun;78(3):695-714. (PMID: 34584295)
J Interpers Violence. 2007 Oct;22(10):1285-304. (PMID: 17766727)
CMAJ. 2012 Sep 4;184(12):1373-7. (PMID: 22311946)
Psychol Rep. 2010 Oct;107(2):425-40. (PMID: 21117468)
Lancet. 2000 Sep 2;356(9232):814-9. (PMID: 11022929)
Child Abuse Negl. 2017 Sep;71:24-31. (PMID: 28126359)
J Fam Psychol. 2003 Sep;17(3):351-60. (PMID: 14562459)
Pediatrics. 1998 Apr;101(4 Pt 1):723-8. (PMID: 9521967)
Pediatrics. 2009 Aug;124(2):e278-86. (PMID: 19620204)
J Fam Psychol. 2016 Jun;30(4):453-69. (PMID: 27055181)
BMC Public Health. 2022 May 6;22(1):905. (PMID: 35524250)
Psychol Bull. 2002 Jul;128(4):539-79. (PMID: 12081081)
Am J Prev Med. 1998 May;14(4):245-58. (PMID: 9635069)
BMC Public Health. 2019 Oct 22;19(1):1345. (PMID: 31640664)
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2004 Feb;45(2):260-73. (PMID: 14982240)
Child Abuse Negl. 2019 Feb;88:326-336. (PMID: 30554124)
Lancet. 2021 Jul 24;398(10297):355-364. (PMID: 34197808)
Child Abuse Negl. 2019 Jun;92:93-105. (PMID: 30939376)

Keywords: adverse childhood experiences (ACEs); child abuse; child maltreatment; corporal punishment; household challenges; peer victimization; physical punishment; spanking; violence against children

Date Created: 20220909 Date Completed: 20220913 Latest Revision: 20230111

20231215

PMC9518050

10.3390/ijerph191710580

36078294