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Author: Straus, Murray A.
Resulting in 6 citations.
1. Giles-Sims, Jean
Straus, Murray A.
Sugarman, David B.
Child, Maternal, and Family Characteristics Associated with Spanking
Family Relations 44 (1995): 170-176.
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: National Council on Family Relations
Keyword(s): Behavioral Problems; Children, Adjustment Problems; Children, Behavioral Development; Discipline; Home Environment; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Household Composition; Maternal Employment; Mothers, Behavior; Parenting Skills/Styles; Punishment, Corporal; Welfare

This article presents descriptive data on frequency and distribution of spanking by mothers in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Spanking rates are often high for all groups, but patterns also vary by age, sex, SES, marital status, ethnicity, religion, and community type. Policy discussion focuses on reevaluation of spanking norms, arguments for using the term corporal punishment in research and policy, and strategies to reduce the use of physical force as discipline.
Bibliography Citation
Giles-Sims, Jean, Murray A. Straus and David B. Sugarman. "Child, Maternal, and Family Characteristics Associated with Spanking." Family Relations 44 (1995): 170-176. .
2. Straus, Murray A.
Corporal Punishment and Academic Achievement Scores of Young Children: A Longitudinal Study
In: The Primordial Violence: Corporal Punishment by Parents, Cognitive Development, and Crime. M. A. Straus, ed. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2003.
Also: http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/cp70mss.htm
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Alta Mira Press
Keyword(s): Age at Birth; Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Discipline; Home Environment; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Parental Influences; Parenting Skills/Styles; Parents, Behavior; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Punishment, Corporal

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that use of corporal punishment (CP) by parents is associated with a subsequent decrease in academic performance. Methods: The frequency of hitting or spanking in the past week was measured for 622 children ages 5 and 6 in 1992. Academic achievement was measured by the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) in 1992 and 1994. Multiple regression analysis controlled for 1992 PIAT score, child's level of antisocial behavior, mother's education, race and gender of child, mother's age at birth of child, father's presence in household, number of children in the household, amount of emotional support and cognitive stimulation the child received. Results: Each increase of one unit in the four unit CP scale at Time 1 was associated with an average decrease of 2.7 points in PIAT score at Time 2, net of all other variables. Conclusions. The finding that CP adversely affects academic achievement is important for children and for the nation because academic achievement is a major determinant of economic and health status and because CP is amenable to change through public health and parent education.
Bibliography Citation
Straus, Murray A. "Corporal Punishment and Academic Achievement Scores of Young Children: A Longitudinal Study" In: The Primordial Violence: Corporal Punishment by Parents, Cognitive Development, and Crime. M. A. Straus, ed. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2003.
3. Straus, Murray A.
Corporal Punishment by Parents: The Cradle of Violence in the Family and Society
Virginia Journal of Social Policy and the Law 8,1 (Fall 2000): 7-60.
Also: http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/CP62.pdf
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: University of Virginia School of Law
Keyword(s): Child Development; Family Environment; Punishment, Corporal

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This article addresses the most prevalent and important form of violence in American families: spanking a child who misbehaves. Very few social scientists or pediatricians think spanking plays a major negative role in a child’s development. Some favor spanking. The majority, although they do not explicitly favor spanking, believe it is sometimes necessary.’ There is a small minority who genuinely oppose spanking in the sense that they believe a child should never, ever, under any circumstances, be spanked. Thus, the beliefs expressed by the majority of psychologists and pediatricians reflect a practical and philosophical inconsistency about spanking. This inconsistency is comparable to opposing the idea of a husband slapping his wife, but believing that it may be necessary in some situations.
Bibliography Citation
Straus, Murray A. "Corporal Punishment by Parents: The Cradle of Violence in the Family and Society." Virginia Journal of Social Policy and the Law 8,1 (Fall 2000): 7-60.
4. Straus, Murray A.
Paschall, Mallie J.
Corporal Punishment by Mothers and Child's Cognitive Development: A Longitudinal Study
Presented: Montreal, QC, 14th World Congress of Sociology, August 1998.
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: International Sociological Association
Keyword(s): Body Parts Recognition; Discipline; Parenting Skills/Styles; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Punishment, Corporal

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This research tested the theory that use of corporal punishment (CP) by parents (such as slapping a child's hand or "spanking") is associated with restricted cognitive development in children. The hypothesis was tested on 960 children age 1 to 4 in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth for whom cognitive ability measures were available for Time 1 (1986) and Time 2 (1990). CP was measured by whether the mother was observed hitting the child during the interview and by a question on frequency of CP in the past week. Multiple regression analysis controlled for cognitive ability at Time 1 and for mother's age and education, whether the father was resident in the household, and the child's birthweight, age, and gender. It was found that CP was associated with a decrease in cognitive ability from Time 1 to Time 2. If these findings are confirmed by other research, and if programs to reduse use of CP are successful, there could be major benefits for children and society as a whole. These benefits are not limited to higher cognitive ability. Recent empirical research suggest that reduced CP could also result in less juvenile delinquency and lower rates of a number of behavioral problems.
Bibliography Citation
Straus, Murray A. and Mallie J. Paschall. "Corporal Punishment by Mothers and Child's Cognitive Development: A Longitudinal Study." Presented: Montreal, QC, 14th World Congress of Sociology, August 1998.
5. Straus, Murray A.
Paschall, Mallie J.
Corporal Punishment by Mothers and Development of Children's Cognitive Ability: A Longitudinal Study of Two Nationally Representative Age Cohorts
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma 18,5 (2009): 459-483
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Routledge ==> Taylor & Francis (1998)
Keyword(s): Body Parts Recognition; Discipline; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Memory for Location; Motor and Social Development (MSD); Parenting Skills/Styles; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Punishment, Corporal

This study tested the hypothesis that the use of corporal punishment (CP), such as slapping a child's hand or “spanking,” is associated with restricted development of cognitive ability. Cognitive ability was measured at the start of the study and 4 years later for 806 children age 2-4 and 704 children age 5-9 in the National Longitudinal Study of Youth. The analyses controlled for 10 parenting and demographic variables. Children of mothers in both cohorts who used little or no CP at Time 1 gained cognitive ability faster than children who were not spanked. The more CP experienced, the more they fell behind children who were not spanked.
Bibliography Citation
Straus, Murray A. and Mallie J. Paschall. "Corporal Punishment by Mothers and Development of Children's Cognitive Ability: A Longitudinal Study of Two Nationally Representative Age Cohorts." Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma 18,5 (2009): 459-483.
6. Straus, Murray A.
Sugarman, David B.
Giles-Sims, Jean
Spanking by Parents and Subsequent Antisocial Behavior of Children
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 151,8 (August 1997): 761-767.
Also: http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/151/8/761
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: American Medical Association
Keyword(s): Behavior, Antisocial; Behavior, Violent; Behavioral Problems; Children, Adjustment Problems; Children, Behavioral Development; Cognitive Development; Discipline; Family Background and Culture; Gender Differences; Home Environment; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Punishment, Corporal; Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Objective: To deal with the causal relationship between corporal punishment and antisocial behavior (ASB) by considering the level of ASB of the child at the start of the study. Methods: Data from interviews with a national sample of 807 mothers of children aged 6 to 9 years in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Child Supplement. Analysis of variance was used to test the hypothesis that when parents use corporal punishment to correct ASB, it increases subsequent ASB. The analysis controlled for the level of ASB at the start of the study, family socioeconomic status, sex of the child, and the extent to which the home provided emotional support and cognitive stimulation. Results: Forty-four percent of the mothers reported spanking their children during the week prior to the study and they spanked them an average of 2.1 times that week. The more spanking at the start of the period, the higher the level of ASB 2 years later. The change is unlikely to be owing to the child's tendency toward ASB or to confounding with demographic characteristics or with parental deficiency in other key aspects of socialization because those variables were statistically controlled. Conclusions: When parents use corporal punishment to reduce ASB, the long-term effect tends to be the opposite. The findings suggest that if parents replace corporal punishment by nonviolent modes of discipline, it could reduce the risk of ASB among children and reduce the level of violence in American society.
Bibliography Citation
Straus, Murray A., David B. Sugarman and Jean Giles-Sims. "Spanking by Parents and Subsequent Antisocial Behavior of Children." Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 151,8 (August 1997): 761-767.