Empowering parents to reduce the use of child physical punishment

This qualitative study is designed to explore the lived experience of parents who have participated in Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP), a parenting program based on the rights of the child, to determine what... [ view full abstract ]

This qualitative study is designed to explore the lived experience of parents who have participated in Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP), a parenting program based on the rights of the child, to determine what it is in the program that reduces their approval of child physical punishment. This poster presents findings from a qualitative interview study of 9 parents who, all but one, are newcomers to Canada. Each parent interviewed has taken the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting program. This program aims to prevent punitive violence against children by increasing parental knowledge and skills, and reducing parental support for physical and emotional punishment.
In a Canadian study on PDEP it was found that 95% of parents indicated a reduction in the approval of child physical punishment, and more than 80% believed that they would use physical punishment less often (Durrant, et al., 2014). However, the Canadian PDEP study did not determine the reasons for the positive change of reducing their approval of CPP - just that positive changes happened. This lacuna is one of the primary objectives of my study. We now know Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting reduces parental approval of using corporal punishment on their children (Durrant et al., 2014), but why? Therefore the current phenomenological study will explore why this change occurred and how the program makes a difference in the lives/attitudes of parents when deciding to use corporal punishment on their children.





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