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

Tracie O. Afifi (), Samantha Salmon, Ashley Stewart-Tufescu and Tamara Taillieu
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Tracie O. Afifi: Departments of Community Health Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W3, Canada
Samantha Salmon: Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W3, Canada
Ashley Stewart-Tufescu: Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
Tamara Taillieu: Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W3, Canada

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-9

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: spanking; physical punishment; corporal punishment; adverse childhood experiences (ACEs); child maltreatment; child abuse; violence against children; household challenges; peer victimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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