CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOR OF PARENTS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF CHILDREN

Abstract

Child abuse has become a public health problem worldwide and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. A recent estimate from the WHO shows that 40,000,000 children aged 0-14 around the world suffer from abuse. Although all professionals oppose abusive physical punishment, non abusive physical punishment is controversial. Opponents of corporal punishment argue that corporal punishment of children at sub­ abusive levels can lead to full-scale abuse. Also, corporal punishment in childhood was found to be associated with antisocial and violent behavior in adolescence or adulthood. ' This study was conducted aiming at determining mothers' behavior regarding discipline of their children using corporal punishment or other disciplinary methods, mpthers' perception regarding disciplinary behavior, and self-esteem of children exposed to corporal punishment.

The study was conducted•on a sample of 400 fifth grade primary school children and their mothers. One educational zone of the seven zones in Alexandria was selected at random . Six primary schools- two private, two governmental and two experimental- were chosen at random. All the seleeted schools were mixed- boys and girls- except for one girls only school. All fifth grade students in each of the six selected schools were included in the present study.