ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE CORPORAL PUNISHMENT OF CHILDREN AND PERSONAL CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: THE RELEVANCE OF THE FEELING OF HELPLESSNESS

Jasna Hrnčić, Milena Blagojević, Bojana Stajkić

DOI Number
https://doi.org/10.22190/TEME250226014H
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Abstract


The lack of consensus in public attitudes toward the legal prohibition of the corporal punishment of children (CPC) may, in part, be explained by variations in individuals’ personal experiences of corporal punishment in childhood (PECPC). Theories of trauma and learned helplessness suggest the potential significance of the feeling of helplessness during PECPC in shaping attitudes toward CPC (ATCPC). The present study aims to examine the association between PECPC and ATCPC, focusing on the role of the feeling of helplessness, its prevalence in the CP context and how it shapes ATCPC, thereby addressing a critical gap in the existing literature. It was hypothesised that the feeling of helplessness would show a stronger association with, and greater predictive power for, ATCPC than other characteristics of PECPC (prevalence and frequency of CPC, age of onset, use of an object, and five other negative emotions experienced during PECPC – sadness, anger, fear, guilt, and shame). ATCPC were assessed using eight indicators: score on the Corporal Punishment Attitude Scale (CPAS1), attitude toward legal regulation of CPC, willingness to sign a petition to ban CPC, and attitudes towards a single parental slap on the bottom in five hypothetical scenarios of child misconduct. A sample of 104 students completed an online questionnaire. The feeling of helplessness was associated with the greatest number of ATCPC indicators (five out of eight) and emerged as the strongest predictor of the CPAS1 scores. These findings are discussed in relation to relevant theoretical frameworks, prior empirical research, and implications for child protection policies aimed at preventing the inappropriate use of corporal punishment.


Keywords

corporal punishment of children, negative emotions, feeling of helplessness, traumatisation, attitudes toward corporal punishment.

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/TEME250226014H

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