Transforming parents' beliefs about physical punishment through 'positive discipline in everyday parenting.' Reducing parental approval of physical punishment in Japan

Japan is a highly developed nation; 99% of the population is literate and almost half of 25- to 64-year-old Japanese adults have completed university or college (OECD, 2012). Yet 65% of parents still approve of physical... [ view full abstract ]

Japan is a highly developed nation; 99% of the population is literate and almost half of 25- to 64-year-old Japanese adults have completed university or college (OECD, 2012). Yet 65% of parents still approve of physical punishment of children (Iwai, 2010). Save the Children Japan has recently adopted Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP) as a core component of its effort to reduce punitive violence through shifting these attitudes. This paper describes a pilot study of PDEP conducted in three communities in Japan. Participants were 39 parents: 100% were over 30 years of age; 72% had completed at least one college or university degree; and 74% had 1 or 2 children. The program was delivered in Japanese by trained facilitators. Its delivery followed the standard protocol described in the PDEP facilitator manual. All parents completed pre and posttest questionnaires, which included 5 items assessing changes in their attitudes toward physical punishment. Significant reductions in support for physical punishment were seen on all items (p < .05). At posttest, 95% believed more strongly that parents should not use physical punishment. On 6 posttest items assessing parents’ beliefs about the impact of the program on their interactions with their children, 100% indicated that they believed PDEP will help them build stronger relationships with their children, understand their children’s feelings, communicate better with their children, and understand their children’s development. More than 90% believed that PDEP would help them control their anger and help them to use less physical punishment. PDEP is a very promising program for shifting Japanese parents’ attitudes toward physical punishment.

References:
Iwai, H. (2010). Social tolerance of the use of physical punishment by parents: an analysis of attitude toward physical punishment using JGSS-2008. JGSS Research Series, 10, 49-59.
OECD (2014). http://www.oecd.org/edu/Chile-EAG2014-Country-Note.pdf