Spare The Rod: Preschoolers’ And Their Mothers’ Perspectives Of Spanking From Within And Outside Conservative Protestantism

A growing body of research suggests that corporal punishment results in an increased risk for behavioral and emotional problems for children who are subjected to it. Corporal punishment is still a widely used form of discipline within the Conservative Protestant religion. This study compares preschoolers’ and their mothers’ views about the acceptability, fairness, and effectiveness of spanking – the most common form of corporal punishment – from within and outside of Conservative Protestantism. Children ages 4-to 5-years-old and their mothers (or primary caregivers) heard nine vignettes about preschool characters who committed common physical (e.g., hitting), social conventional (e.g., using your hands to eat) or prudential (e.g., lighting matches) transgressions and answered several questions about the appropriateness of using spanking as a consequence for each misbehavior. Caregivers also answered a questionnaire about their religious beliefs and parenting practices. Results revealed no difference between conservative Protestant children and their mother’s views but a significant difference between conservative Protestant and non-conservative Protestant mothers. Furthermore, acceptability of spanking varied by transgression, mothers viewed spanking as the most okay for prudential transgressions and children for social transgressions. The current study is a first step in exploring mother-child beliefs about corporal punishment within and outside of Conservative Protestantism.