Parental Discipline

Seems like parenting tips are in vogue today! This next post is fresh off the press from Kansas State University. It’s hard to ignore: the tantrum-throwing child at the department store and the stressed-out parent at wit’s end, embarrassed, not sure what to do next.

When children act out in public, parents don’t always know how best to respond, according to Chuck Smith, a Kansas State University child development expert. The proper way to react depends on a number of factors, he said, including the child’s age, the purpose of the public outing and whether the child’s behavior even needs to be corrected. [continue reading…]

This  week BPS Research Digest takes a look at aggressive behaviour in children, reviewing Sheehan, M.J., Watson, M.W. (2008) paper,  and how parents  should avoid exacerbating such behaviour with harsh combative discipline.

Michael Sheehan and Malcolm Watson followed 440 children and their mothers for five years. On four occasions during that time, the mothers answered questions about their own style of parenting and their children’s behaviour. At the start of the study, the children’s average age was 10 years and by the final assessment their average age was 15.
The results revealed two-way influences between children’s behaviour and their mothers’ parenting style. On the one hand, children’s aggressive behaviour at younger ages predicted more disciplining by mothers, including more use of combative discipline (both verbal and physical) and more use of reasoning techniques. On the other hand, a greater use of harsh, aggressive discipline by mothers predicted increased future aggressive behaviour by their children. 

Link to read this BPS report

Source: BPS Research Digest, Sheehan, M.J., Watson, M.W. (2008). Reciprocal influences between maternal discipline techniques and aggression in children and adolescents. Aggressive Behavior, 34(3), 245-255. DOI: 10.1002/ab.20241

Â