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Cited by 273Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentChild Abuse and TraumaEducation Discipline and Inequality

Correlates and Consequences of Spanking and Verbal Punishment for Low-Income White, African American, and Mexican American Toddlers

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Berlin, Lisa J, Ispa, Jean M, Fine, Mark A, Malone, Patrick S, Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, Brady-Smith, Christy, Ayoub, Catherine, Bai, Yu·2009·Child Development
DOI 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01341.xPMC PMC2987237
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Abstract

This study examined the prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of spanking and verbal punishment in 2,573 low-income White, African American, and Mexican American toddlers at ages 1, 2, and 3. Both spanking and verbal punishment varied by maternal race/ethnicity. Child fussiness at age 1 predicted spanking and verbal punishment at all 3 ages. Cross-lagged path analyses indicated that spanking (but not verbal punishment) at age 1 predicted child aggressive behavior problems at age 2 and lower Bayley mental development scores at age 3. Neither child aggressive behavior problems nor Bayley scores predicted later spanking or verbal punishment. In some instances, maternal race/ethnicity and/or emotional responsiveness moderated the effects of spanking and verbal punishment on child outcomes.

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  • Cross-lagged studies have demonstrated that spanking predicts changes in children's behavior over and above initial levels and the child effect of early problem behavior on later spanking.

    “A series of cross-lagged studies (Berlin et al., 2009; Gershoff, Lansford, Sexton, Davis-Kean, & Sameroff, 2012; McLeod, Kruttschnitt, & Dornfeld, 1994; Sheehan & Watson, 2008) has demonstrated that spanking predicts changes in children’s behavior, over and above their initial levels and the child effect of early problem behavior on later spanking.”

    From Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses. (2016) · cites this paper as Berlin et al., 2009

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Authors
Berlin, L. J., Ispa, J. M., Fine, M. A., Malone, P. S., Brooks-Gunn, J., Brady-Smith, C., Ayoub, C., & Bai, Y.
Affiliations
  • Duke University (US)
  • University of Missouri (US)
  • University of South Carolina (US)
  • National Center for Children and Families, Columbia University
  • Harvard University (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author
Berlin, Lisa J
ORCID
Venue
Child Development
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2009-09-01
Volume
80
Issue
5
Pages
1403-1420
ISSN
  • 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-8624
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01341.x
PMC
PMC2987237
OpenAlex
W2085890565
Cited by
273
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 21
FWCI
14.18
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Child Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (K01MH70378, K01MH070378)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R24HD047879)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Education › Education Discipline and Inequality
Keywords
spanking, verbal punishment, low-income households, maternal race/ethnicity, child aggression, child psychological development, Bayley Scales
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Age Factors, Aggression, Black or African American, Child Behavior, Child Behavior Disorders, Child Development, Child Rearing, Child, Preschool, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Female, Humans, Infant, Interviews as Topic, Male, Maternal Behavior, Mother-Child Relations, Poverty, Punishment, Socioeconomic Factors, United States, Mexican Americans, White People

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