At a time when we are increasingly concerned by the extent and nature of family violence, corporal punishment of children in the home remains legal in all Australian states and territories. Corporal punishment ‘is the use of physical force to cause pain, but not injury, for the purposes of behavioural discipline or correction’ and can include hitting, slapping, pushing, pinching or otherwise temporarily hurting the child. The law states that the force used must be ‘moderate and reasonable’ and considers the child’s age, health, and the nature of the behaviour. This form of discipline contravenes section 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and is viewed as a form of violence against children.
What are the Consequences?
Research over decades, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses is clear that corporal punishment is associated with adverse outcomes. For children this includes ‘increased aggression, externalising problems, internalising problems, mood disorders, lower moral internalisation, decreases in cognitive ability, and neurological changes.’ At a family and relationship level this form of discipline is strongly associated with child abuse with parents who use corporal punishment with a 1-year-old 33% more likely to be involved with child protective services before the child is 5. There is also an association between corporal punishment of children and mothers reporting domestic violence while young people who experience this in childhood are more likely to engage in dating violence. It seems reasonable to suggest that corporal punishment is associated with other patterns of family and relational violence.
How Many Australian Parents Use Corporal Punishment?
A study by Haslam et al (2023) explored the extent to which Australian adults were punished in this way in childhood and its current use by adult parents and caregivers. They also investigated community beliefs about the value of corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure.
The researchers randomly selected 8503 Australians aged 16–65 years and older across five age decile strata who then participated in telephone interviews.
What Did They Find?
62.5% of those interviewed reported being disciplined through corporal punishment as a child, most commonly from a parent and with men more likely to have had this experience than women. The youngest group of 16 to 25-year-olds reported a slightly lower but still unacceptable rate at 58.4% .
A little over half of the Australian parents interviewed reported using corporal punishment, with those who had been subjected to it as children, most likely to repeat this with their children. However, only 14.4% of the youngest group disciplined their children this way compared to 65% of parents 65 years or older.
Just over a quarter of all respondents deemed corporal punishment necessary for childrearing with parents twice as likely to support its value compared to those without children. People living in disadvantaged areas were 2.3 times more likely to see it as necessary.
What are the Implications for Practitioners?
At a time where there is significant concern about family and domestic violence, this is a critical issue that requires a response at every level, from community, policy, law and in our individual work with families. While only a quarter of all respondents believe corporal punishment is necessary a much higher percentage use this strategy, speaking to a disconnect between belief and capacity to find other ways to parent. As child and family practitioners we are uniquely placed to raise the issue and work with parents in positive and supportive ways to break the chain of violence and help parents develop better and more effective ways to influence their children.
Haslam, D.M., Malacova, E., Higgins, D., Meinck, F.Mathews, B., Thomas, H. et al. (2024) The prevalence of corporal punishment in Australia: Findings from a nationally representative survey. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 59, 580–604. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.301
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