ATTITUDES TOWARDS CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SERBIAN PARENTS OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WITH AND WITHOUT SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DISORDERS

Abstract

Corporal punishment (CP) is not yet legally regulated in Serbia, and it hasn’t been a very researched topic, especially in vulnerable families who have children with speech and language disorders (SLD). As worldwide research indicates that children with various developmental disorders are at a higher risk for CP, we hypothesized that parents of children with SLD would have a more positive attitude towards this discipline method compared to parents of typically developing children. Participants were 290 parents (67% female), divided into two groups: parents of children with speech and language disorders (SLDP) and parents of typically developing children (TDP). Two parental groups were matched in terms of age, level of education and the number of children. Parents filled out a questionnaire designed to assess their socio-demographic data, experiences with CP during their own childhood, attitude towards CP and beliefs about the necessity of banning CP. The attitude towards CP is slightly more positive in the SLDP. Socio-demographic factors are related to the attitude towards CP, but only within the TDP. Parents who experienced more frequent CP during their own childhood have more positive attitudes towards CP. Less than 50% of parents believe that CP should be prohibited.