Understanding Discipline Practices

Time-outs, removal of privileges, yelling and spanking -these are the four most common disciplinary actions, yet a third of parents report that they don't work. Research in the latest issue of Clinical Pediatrics indicates that parents want their child's pediatrician to work with them to develop effective and personally tailored discipline practices.

The research, published by SAGE Publications in the recent issue of Clinical Pediatrics, and written by lead author Dr. Shari Barken of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, indicates that, while national guidelines urge pediatricians to address discipline, a number of don't know what leads parents to use different discipline approaches.

To provide more clarity, Dr. Barkin and her colleagues surveyed parents at the pediatrician's office before their child's well-child exam. The survey asked about the use of common discipline practices, about the perception of discipline effectiveness, and the surrounding factors of each type of discipline. The scientists found several factors that went into the types of discipline used, such as: the child's age, the family's race and ethnicity, and how parents were disciplined during their own childhood. The research provides pediatricians with more information so they can address discipline more consistently and effectively with their patients' parents.


Posted by: JoAnn    Source