If veteran parents can't interpret their children's thoughts and emotions, they are more likely to spank, slap or shove their kids, according to a new University of Michigan study.
Prior research has shown that post-traumatic stress symptoms have been closely linked with the use of harsh parenting practices in veteran families.
"Understanding a child's emotions and behavior is essential for effective parenting. This study reveals the challenges parents face in deciphering emotional cues, particularly when shaped by factors like racial background and the effects of traumatic stress," said Olivia Chang, a doctoral student at the U-M School of Social Work and the study's lead author.
The U-M study found that racial background alone did not directly influence the use of physical discipline. However, in multiracial families, an overconfidence in understanding a child's mental state might lead parents to use this punitive approach more frequently.
Chang and colleague Xiafei Wang, assistant professor at Syracuse University's School of Social Work, looked at how the mental skills of nearly 500 U.S. veteran parents affected their use of harsh parenting techniques like corporal punishment. Participants disclosed post-traumatic stress, their evaluation of mental situations for themselves and their kids, and the use of corporal punishment.
The researchers found that certain mentalization skills can predict the use of corporal punishment, even more than PTSD symptoms can. Veteran parents who made distorted judgments about their child's behavior, such as assuming malicious intent, were more likely to use corporal punishment, regardless of the family's racial background.
On the other hand, parents who were overly confident in their understanding of their child's thoughts and feelings, without considering other perspectives, were more likely to use corporal punishment in multiracial families.
To reduce corporal punishment, social workers and other family practitioners should consider how parents' past traumas and their ability to understand their children are connected to the family's social context, including their racial background.
