Slapping and spanking in childhood and its association with lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a general population sample

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorMacMillan, H. L., Boyle, M. H., Wong, M. Y. Y., Duku, E. K., Fleming, J. E., & Walsh, C. A.
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-23T15:50:25Z
dc.date.available2017-01-23T15:50:25Z
dc.date.issued1999
dc.description.abstractBackground: Little information is available in Canada about the prevalence of and outcomes associated with a history of slapping and spanking in childhood. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of a history of slapping or spanking in a general population sample and to assess the relation between such a history and the lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders. Methods: In this general population survey, a probability sample of 9953 residents of Ontario aged 15 years and older who participated in the Ontario Health Supplement was used to examine the prevalence of a history of slapping and spanking. A subgroup of this sample (n = 4888), which comprised people aged 15 to 64 years who did not report a history of physical or sexual abuse during childhood, was used to assess the relation between a history of slapping or spanking and the lifetime prevalence of 4 categories of psychiatric disorder. The measures included a self-administered questionnaire with a question about frequency of slapping and spanking during childhood, as well as an interviewer-administered questionnaire to measure psychiatric disorder. Results: The majority of respondents indicated that they had been slapped or spanked, or both, by an adult during childhood "sometimes" (33.4%) or "rarely" (40.9%); 5.5% reported that this occurred "often." The remainder (20.2%) reported "never" experiencing these behaviours. Among the respondents without a history of physical or sexual abuse during childhood, those who reported being slapped or spanked "often" or "sometimes" had significantly higher lifetime rates of anxiety disorders (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.96), alcohol abuse or dependence (adjusted OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.27-3.21) and one or more externalizing problems (adjusted OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.36-3.16), compared with those who reported "never" being slapped or spanked. There was also an association between a history of slapping or spanking and major depression, but it was not statistically significant (adjusted OR 1.64, 95% CI 0.96-2.80). Interpretation: There appears to be a linear association between the frequency of slapping and spanking during childhood and a lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorder, alcohol abuse or dependence and externalizing problems. (Author Abstract)en_US
dc.identifier.citationMacMillan, H. L., Boyle, M. H., Wong, M. Y. Y., Duku, E. K., Fleming, J. E., & Walsh, C. A. (1999). Slapping and spanking in childhood and its association with lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a general population sample. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 161(7), 805-809.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1230651/pdf/cmaj_161_7_805.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/3157
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherCanadian Medical Association Journalen_US
dc.subjectchild abuseen_US
dc.subjectcorporal punishmenten_US
dc.subjectphysical abuseen_US
dc.subjectlong term effectsen_US
dc.subjectpsychological effectsen_US
dc.subjectresearchen_US
dc.subjectCanadaen_US
dc.subjectInternational Resourcesen_US
dc.titleSlapping and spanking in childhood and its association with lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a general population sampleen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

Files

Collections

CALiO Collection of Resources