Abstract
To describe and compare the prevalence of discipline methods used by Arab and Jewish mothers of 6–9 year old children in Israel. 234 mothers completed the Dimensions of Discipline Inventory to describe the methods they use to correct their children’s misbehavior. Non-punitive discipline, such as giving rewards, was more prevalent than punitive discipline, such as psychological aggression and corporal punishment. However, the use of punitive methods was not negligible. Some cultural and socioeconomic status (SES) interactions were found. Ethnicity and mother’s educational level were two important factors that explain discipline methods used by mothers. Mothers with low education, especially in the Arab group, used inconsistent parenting styles to correct their children’s misbehavior. This could be a result of the many social stressors that face these families in their daily life. It could also be the result of differences between parents in the knowledge and parenting skills that enable them to deal effectively with children’s misbehavior. More allocation of resources, support and supervision is indicated for these families.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
The rationale for this was to help the mother focus on one child according to his/her age rather than choosing the child according to his/her behavior.
References
Ards, S., Chung, C., & Myers, S. L., Jr. (1998). The effects of sample selection bias on racial differences in child abuse reporting. Child Abuse & Neglect, 22, 103–115.
Attar, B. K., Guerra, N. G., & Tolan, P. H. (1994). Neighborhood disadvantage, stressful life events, and adjustment in urban elementary-school children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 23, 391–400.
Ben-Arieh, A., & Haj-Yahia, M. M. (2006). The “geography” of child maltreatment in Israel: findings from a national data set if cases reported to the social services. Child Abuse and Neglect, 30, 991–1003.
Benbenishty, R., & Astor, R. A. (2005). School violence embedded in context. Oxford University Press.
Benbenishty, R., Zeira, A., Astor, R. A., & Khoury-Kassabri, M. (2002). Maltreatment of primary school students by educational staff in Israel. Child Abuse & Neglect, 26, 1291–1309.
Berkowitz, A. (1989). Frustration-aggression hypothesis: examination and reformulation. Psychological Bulletin, 106, 59–73.
Central Bureau of Statistics. (2006). http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader.
Cohen, A. (2007). An examination of the relationship between commitments and culture among five cultural groups of Israeli teachers. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 38, 34–49.
Deater-Deckard, K., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1996). Physical discipline among African American and European American mothers: links to children’s externalizing behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 32, 1065–1072.
Dolev, T., & Habib, J. (1997). A conceptual framework for developing indicators of the state of childre. In A. Ben-Arieh & H. Wintersberger (Eds.), Monitoring and measuring the state of children: Beyond survival (pp. 65–76). Vienna: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research.
Durrant, J. E. (2008). Physical punishment, culture, and rights: current issues for professionals. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 29, 55–66.
Dwairy, M., & Achoui, M. (2006). Introduction to three cross-regional research studies on parenting styles, individuation, and mental health in Arab societies. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 37, 221–229.
Dwairy, M., Achoui, M., Abouserie, R., Farah, A., Sakhleh, A. A., Fayad, M., et al. (2006). Parenting styles in Arab societies: a first cross-regional research study. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 37, 230–247.
English, D. J., Graham, J. C., Newton, R. R., Lewis, L. T., Thompson, R., Kotch, B. J., et al. (2008). At-risk and maltreated children exposed to intimate partner aggression/violence: what the conflict looks like and Its relationship to child outcomes. Child Maltreatment, 14(2), 1–15.
Gelles, R. J. (1997). Intimate violence in families. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Gershoff, E. T. (2002). Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behavior and experiences: a meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 539–579.
Grogan-Kaylor, A., & Otis, M. D. (2007). The predictors of parental use of corporal punishment. Family Relations, 56, 80–91.
Guerra, N. G., Huesmann, L. R., Tolan, P. H., Van Acker, R., & Eron, L. D. (1995). Stressful events and individual beliefs as correlates of economic disadvantage and aggression among urban children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 518–528.
Haj-Yahia, M. M. (2000). Wife abuse and battering in the sociocultural context of Arab society. Family Process, 39, 237–255.
Haj-Yahia, M. M. (2002). Attitudes of Arab women toward different patterns of coping with wife abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17, 721–745.
Haj-Yahia, M. M., & Ben-Arieh, A. (2000). The incidence of Arab adolescents’ exposure to violence in their families of origin and its sociodemographic correlates. Child Abuse and Neglect, 24, 1299–1315.
Hareven, A. (2002). Towards the year 2030: can a civil society shared by Jews and Arabs evolve in Israel? International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 26, 153–168.
Herold, M. (2001). Jewish parents’ reports of their attitudes and behavior regarding physical punishment. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Temple University.
Khoury-Kassabri, M. (2010). Attitudes of Arab and Jewish mothers toward punitive and non-punitive discipline methods. Child and Family Social Work, 15, 135–144.
Khoury-Kassabri, M., & Attar-Schwartz, S. (2008). Student victimization by peers: comparison between Bedouin and non-Bedouin Arab students in Israel. Journal of School Violence, 7, 1–21.
Lansford, J., Chang, L., Dodge, K., Malone, P., Oburu, P., Palmérus, K., et al. (2005). Physical discipline and children’s adjustment: Cultural normativeness as a moderator. Child Development, 76, 1234–1246.
Lawrence, M. B. (2005). Income, family characteristics, and physical violence toward children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 29, 107–133.
Mikulincer, M., Weller, A., & Florian, V. (1993). Sense of closeness to parents and family rules: a study of Arab and Jewish youth in Israel. International Journal of Psychology, 28, 323–335.
Patterson, G. R., DeBaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (1989). A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior. American Psychologist, 44, 329–335.
Pinderhughes, E. E., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., Pettit, G. S., & Zelli, A. (2000). Discipline responses: influences of parents’ socioeconomic status, ethnicity, beliefs about parenting, stress, and cognitive–emotional processes. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 380–400.
Proctor, B., & Dalaker, J. (2002). Current population reports, P60-219, poverty in the United States: 2001. Washington: U.S. Census Bureau.
Russell, K. K. (1994). The racial inequality hypothesis: a critical look at the research and an alternative theoretical analysis. Law and Human Behavior, 18, 305–317.
Socolar, R. R. S. (1997). A classification scheme for discipline: type, mode of administration, context. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2, 355–364.
Straus, M. A. (2001). Beating the devil out of them: corporal punishment in American families and its effects on children (2nd ed.). New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.
Straus, M. A., & Fauchier, A. (2007). Manual for the Dimensions of Discipline Inventory (DDI). Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. Available at: http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/.
Straus, M. A., Gelles, R. J., & Steinmetz, S. K. (2006). Behind closed doors: violence in the American family (2nd ed.). Garden City: Anchor Press/Doubleday.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Khoury-Kassabri, M., Straus, M.A. Discipline Methods Used by Mothers: The Contribution of Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Child’s Characteristics. Child Ind Res 4, 45–57 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-010-9077-z
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-010-9077-z