Glicklich, Rosalyn (9/14) Interpersonal distress in young adulthood: the impact of corporal punishment and perceived parental acceptance and rejection (Sara C. Haden, Ph.D.; Nicole M. Cain, Ph.D.; Nicholas Papouchis, Ph.D.)
The impact of corporal punishment (CP) on psychosocial development has been hotly debated in the literature for years. Contemporary researchers have attributed inconsistent findings to variations in such factors as the child's perceptions of parental acceptance vs. rejection, perceptions of the fairness/deservedness of CP, and ethnic differences. The present study explored these third variables in investigating the relationship between CP harshness in childhood and subsequent interpersonal distress. A sample of 184 undergraduate students (ages 18.28) from a diverse urban university completed online self-report questionnaires to examine the associations among CP harshness experienced in childhood and adolescence, perceptions of acceptance vs. rejection by primary caregivers, ethnicity, and interpersonal distress and problems in young adulthood. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that harshness of CP was associated with higher levels of interpersonal distress for European Americans but not for African Americans. Mediated model path analyses indicated that the relationship between CP harshness and interpersonal distress was fully mediated by perceived caregiver acceptance-rejection. Corporal punishment harshness was significantly correlated with higher levels of Domineering, Vindictive, Socially Avoidant, Cold, and Intrusive interpersonal problems in young adulthood. Perceived justness of CP did not moderate the relationship between CP harshness and interpersonal distress. These results emphasize the importance of considering the impact of CP within the contexts of the parent-child relationship and an individual's ethnic background. A multi-determined path is suggested for understanding interpersonal distress in young adulthood.
