Effects of corporal punishment, perceived caretaker warmth, and cultural beliefs on the psychological adjustment of children in St. Kitts, West Indies

Abstract

The research reported in this article addressed two questions: 1) Is physical punishment by itself associated with impairments in children's psychological adjustment, or is punishment linked with these effects only or primarily insofar as it is perceived by children to be a form of caretaker rejection? and 2) Do interrelationships among physical punishment, perceived rejection, and psychological adjustment vary according to the extent to which children personally agree with the cultural belief affirming parents' right to use physical force? A structural equation modeling analysis of 349 youths, aged 9-16, in St. Kitts, showed that physical punishment by itself did make a modest, but significant, direct and negative contribution to youths' psychological adjustment. However, the subjects tended to experience themselves to be rejected in direct proportion to the frequency and severity of punishment received. The direct impact of physical punishment on youths' psychological adjustment in conjunction with the indirect effect, as mediated through perceived caretaker rejection, was substantial. Children's belief about physical punishment did not have a significant effect on these relationships