Date of Award

5-2021

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Simon, James

Abstract

A child’s development can be deeply affected by the type of discipline his or her parents’ favor. While some discipline methods help raise healthy children, others have been found to produce detrimental effects. Research focusing on the discipline methods most utilized within the Hispanic community have found mixed results about which discipline methods are most utilized by Hispanic parents. In response to the fact that most research studies only focus on parent accounts of which discipline methods they prefer, this research study examined Hispanic parents’ attitudes toward different child discipline methods to explore parent perceptions regarding which discipline methods provided the best results for Hispanic children. This study was conducted with 15 Hispanic parents at a church in a large county in Inland Southern California. Qualitative data were gathered in the form of interviews with parents who have children older than 16 years old and who have lived with their children for most of their lives. The questionnaire identified parents’ attitudes toward different child discipline methods and included questions related to what discipline methods are utilized by Hispanic parents, why parents favor the use of one discipline method over another, and which discipline methods were perceived to be the most effective in raising Hispanic children. Interview results were transcribed and then coded using a bottom-up analysis, which resulted in several themes and subthemes. Three themes identified in this study were the discipline methods utilized by Hispanic parents, the types of influences affecting Hispanic parents’ decision to utilize one parenting method over another, and perceived unfavorable results and beneficial outcomes of different parenting methods. This research study provides information about current trends within Hispanic parents, specifically the tendency to be moving away from obedience-based practices and a desire to gravitate towards reasoning-based practices. This research study can assist social workers in supporting parents in learning how to implement reasoning-based practices.

Download

Included in

Social Work Commons

Share

COinS