Adverse childhood experiences and use of corporal punishment among women in low-resource settings: a convergent mixed methods study with mothers of children under five in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

Background: Evidence suggests that women who experience corporal punishment as a child are more likely to use it with their children, particularly in low-resource settings where higher exposure to additional adverse childhood experiences, such as food insecurity and a parent’s premature death or abandonment, compounds damage from early exposure to corporal punishment. However, mothers who experienced corporal punishment as a child and simultaneously kind, compassionate, secure caregiving from the same or another caregiver, are less likely to expose their children to corporal punishment. Not enough research investigates how early maternal experiences with corporal punishment impact everyday parenting behaviors in contexts of poverty outside high-income countries. This investigation seeks to provide actionable information for researchers and practitioners to support families to heal from intergenerational trauma in settings of poverty.

Methods: We used a convergent mixed methods design to understand how early experiences with corporal punishment shape parenting practices. We conducted a brief demographic and health questionnaire followed by in-depth semi-structured open-ended interviews with 25 mothers (19—42 years old) of low socioeconomic position in the Dominican Republic, who had children 3–5 years old at the time of the interview. Women offered reflections about how they believe their childhood experiences shaped their approach to parenting. We analyzed interview content using thematic analysis, comparing themes between women who use corporal punishment and those who do not.

Results: Fourteen women reported not using corporal punishment and 11 reported using it. A large majority of all participants described receiving corporal punishment as a child (79% of those who do not use corporal punishment and 82% of those who do). Participants often struggled to remember experiences from childhood and became emotionally disconnected or desensitized when discussing abusive events from their early life. Some participants expressed wanting to raise their children without corporal punishment, however they could not always control their impulses. A few mothers demonstrated resolution when discussing their early experiences with corporal punishment. Adolescent mothers reported using corporal punishment with their child much more frequently than older mothers, with only one mother over the age of 20 at the birth of her first child using corporal punishment. Those who used corporal punishment with their child also reported higher rates of characteristics suggesting lower socioeconomic position. We identified two main categories for participant explanations for the use of corporal punishment: (1) a disciplinary strategy used after escalated threats, or (2) a response to feeling overwhelmed. Whether mothers considered corporal punishment a violent parenting behavior depended on whether it led to injury, what part of the body was targeted, its regularity, and whether they perceived its use was warranted.

Conclusions: For early child interventions to be effective at preventing use of corporal punishment among women of low socioeconomic position in the Dominican Republic, practitioners should consider low-cost, scalable community-based therapeutic programs that address the impact of traumatic early childhood experiences.