< Previous | Contents | Next >

DISCIPLINING CHILDREN: RESEARCH WITH PARENTS IN SCOTLAND

A. Introduction

This report presents the findings of a study of research with parents in Scotland related to disciplining children. It was carried out by NFO System Three Social Research on behalf of the Scottish Executive.

In September 2001, the Justice Minister, the Right Honourable Jim Wallace QC, announced a number of proposals to make changes to the law on physical punishment. These proposals subsequently became part of the Criminal Justice Bill. The proposals are: that it should be an offence to smack a child under the age of three; that it should be an offence to hit or strike a child of any age with an implement or around the face or head; and that it should be an offence to shake a child of any age. Against this backdrop, the research was commissioned to provide specifically Scottish information on the subject of disciplining children..

Among the questions the study sought to answer were the following:

• What forms of discipline or chastisement (both physical and non-physical) do parents in Scotland use with their children?
• How does this relate to their own experiences as children — in other words, is there any evidence of significant change in parenting practices over recent decades?
• To what extent are different forms of physical chastisement seen as appropriate and effective ways of disciplining children? How do perceptions of effectiveness and appropriateness vary with the age of the child?
• How much do Scottish parents understand about the current law on physical chastisement, particularly as it relates to smacking?
• How aware are they of the changes proposed within the Criminal Justice Bill? And what is their view of those?

Existing literature

The global literature on parenting, discipline and physical chastisement is extensive (and often contradictory), covering a range of sociological, socio-legal and psychological themes. These include:

• factors influencing parental use of smacking and other forms of physical chastisement (e.g. Graziano et al, 1992; Wolfner and Gelles, 1993; Buntainricklefs et al, 1994; Maxwell, 1995; Gilessims et al, 1995; Vargas et al, 1995; Ellison et al, 1996; Flynn, 1998; Qasem et al, 1998; Murphy-Cowan and Stringer, 1999; Dietz, 2000; Eamon, 2001)
• attitudes towards legislation and the impact of legislation (e.g. Pronay et al, 1995; Larzelere and Johnson, 1999; Durrant, 2000; Roberts, 2000; MORI, 2002; NFO System Three, 2002)
• children’s views and experiences (e.g. NCB/Save the Children, 1999; Save the Children Scotland, 2002)
• the psychological effects of physical chastisement (e.g. Larzelere, 1996; Baumrind, 1996; Strauss et al, 1997; Simons et al, 1994).

However, other than some recent opinion polls on the proposed legislation, little research has been carried out within a specifically Scottish context. An ESRC funded project in the UK (Ghate et al - final report as yet unpublished) included Scottish respondents but in insufficient numbers to draw out specifically Scottish data.

Research methods

The current research had two main components. The first stage consisted of a series of qualitative interviews with parents. These took a variety of forms, including individual depth interviews, interviews with couples, conventional focus groups (involving participants not known to each other in advance) and ‘peer’ focus groups (based on existing friendship groups). Because of the potential sensitivity of the topics under discussion — and the possibility that some parents would feel inhibited and others reassured by the presence of partners, friends or strangers — it was hoped that each approach might afford a slightly different perspective.

In order to canvass as wide a range of attitudes and experiences as possible, the qualitative sample was segmented by geography, gender, socio-economic group and age of child. It was also deliberately structured to include some interviews with single parents. In total, 20 qualitative interviews (5 of each type) were carried out in March and April of 2002. Further details on the composition and segmentation of these can be found in Appendix A.

The second stage of the research took the form of a nationally-representative quantitative survey of parents. This was carried out in respondents’ homes by interviewers from the NFO System Three fieldforce between May and August 2002 using Computer Aided Personal Interviewing (CAPI). Although much of the questionnaire was interviewer-administered, respondents also self-keyed responses to a set of more sensitive questions relating to their own experience and use of different forms of chastisement.

The sampling for the survey was based on probability techniques, involving the random selection of sampling points, of addresses within those points and of individuals for interview at those addresses (in cases where there was more than one parent in residence). No substitution of addresses or respondents was permissible and up to five calls were made to each address to secure an interview. At the close of fieldwork, 692 interviews had been completed. Further details about the methodology of the survey component are contained in Appendix B.

Structure of the report

The report has the following structure:

• Drawing largely on the qualitative data, Section B attempts to situate the question of parental discipline in the context of broader views of contemporary parenting and family life.
• Section C uses both qualitative and quantitative data to look at parental perceptions of how common physical chastisement is and details the survey evidence of the actual prevalence of such behaviours. It also focuses specifically on smacking and explores general attitudes, typical ‘smacking situations’ and the ways in which parents seek to explain or justify its use.
• Section D examines awareness of and attitudes towards the legal position relating to smacking. How much do parents know about the current law? How much have they heard about the proposed changes within the Criminal Justice Bill? Do they support or oppose such change? What impact, if any, do they think changes in legislation would have on their own behaviour and that of others?
• Section E draws out and summarises the most important themes emerging from the research and looks at the potential implications of these.

< Previous | Contents | Next >