Abstract
It is vital to study and understand the underlying conditions that support and maintain the almost universal positive attitudes about the use of corporal punishment with children. Corporal punishment is a form of violence against children that affects child development and may possibly be a link to later violent behavior. Currently, the scientific community is in great debate regarding the use of corporal punishment with children and the adult or parental characteristics and milieu that produce these attitudes and behavior. This secondary analysis proposed to further examine the variables found significant in relation to favoring or using corporal punishment with children. The 207 participants, who answered all of the questions on the GSS93 subset survey, were studied with 15 independent variables, clustered into three categories-social system, demographic, and psychological. The hypothesis postulated that the social system variables, supported by the social interaction and systems model, would be the highest estimators of individuals favoring corporal punishment with children. The results from logistic regression supported the hypothesis and agreed with previous study variables in the full and final models. The cultural norms that support corporal punishment in our schools and families need to be addressed. It has been suggested that the United States emulate Sweden's national policy where corporal punishment with children is seen as abuse.
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