Self‐Perceptions of communication effectiveness: An exploratory study

With increasing evidence of non‐maximal communication skills, an investigation of variables that could impact the inclination of students to continue development was undertaken. This study initiates exploration of student perceptions of communication effectiveness relative to self peers and people‐in‐general. Results indicate that most students perceive themselves to he very effective communicators and perceive others to be less effective. A reverse pattern was evidenced by high apprehensive students. The challenge for communication education is discussed. Potential action paths are elaborated.     

Understanding the mediating role of corporal punishment in the association between maternal stress,efficacy, co-parenting and children's adjustment difficulties among Arab mothers

This study, guided by the Family Systems Theory, examines the direct effect of maternal use of corporal punishment on children's adjustment difficulties. Also, it explores whether corporal punishment serves as a mediating factor in the relationship between several maternal characteristics, marital relationships, and children's adjustment difficulties. A total of 2,447 Arab mothers completed anonymous, structured, self-report questionnaires. The use of corporal punishment was generally strongly supported by the Arab mothers in our sample. A greater likelihood of using corporal punishment was found among mothers of boys rather than girls, among mothers with lower perceived self-efficacy to discipline children, and among mothers with a lower perception of their husbands’ participation in child-related labor. In addition, the higher a mother's reports on disagreement with her husband about discipline methods and the stronger her level of maternal stress, the more likely she was to use corporal punishment. Corporal punishment also mediated the association between the above mentioned factors and child adjustment difficulties. Furthermore, a husband's emotional support and family socioeconomic status were directly associated to children's adjustment difficulties. The results of the current study emphasize the need to observe children's development within the context of their family systems and to consider the mutual influences of different subsystems such as marital relationships and mother–child interactions. Prevention and intervention programs should raise parents’ awareness concerning the harmful effects of corporal punishment and take into account the impact of dynamic transactions of parental conflicts and disagreements regarding discipline methods on child outcomes.     

Corporal punishment in rural Colombian families: Prevalence,family structure and socio-demographic variables

Objective: To reveal the prevalence of corporal punishment in a rural area of Colombia and its correlates to family structure and other socio-demographic variables. Method: A survey about childrearing and childcare was developed for this study, including a specific question about corporal punishment that was developed based on the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS). Family structure was categorized as follows, based on previous literature: ‘nuclear family,’ ‘single parent’ family, ‘extended family,’ ‘simultaneous family’ and ‘composed family.’ Results: Forty-one percent of the parents surveyed admitted they had used corporal punishment of their children as a disciplinary strategy. The type of family structure, the number of children living at home, the age of the children, the gender of the parent who answered the survey, and the age and gender of the partner were significant predictors of corporal punishment. Conclusion: Family structure is an important variable in the understanding of corporal punishment, especially in regard to nuclear families that have a large number of children and parents who started their parental role early in life.     

魏晋“本无”、“肉刑”二题论争的微观阅读——从夏侯玄的著述说起

关于魏晋玄学代表人物夏侯玄的著述,《三国志》裴注引《魏氏春秋》曾有＂本无肉刑论＂的记载,或以其独立成篇,或混同于《通典》所载夏侯玄关于肉刑的论驳,不留心者实易望文生义。以宏观之解,＂本无肉刑论＂事关魏晋间政治、法律、哲学思想论争中＂本无＂、＂肉刑＂两大命题,现存史料也足以窥视、佐证。以微观之见,对史料本身保持审慎的态度,同时重视、参考、运用其他学术领域相通相关甚至相反的成果,都有益于思考和解决法律史研究中的诸多问题,才不至于将史料阅读分析的＂重新＂沦为简单的重复。     

Effects of a violence prevention intervention in schools and surrounding communities: Secondary analysis of a cluster randomised-controlled trial in Uganda

The Good School Toolkit is effective in reducing staff violence against children in Ugandan primary schools. A secondary analysis of cluster-randomised trial data was conducted to investigate intervention effects on school operational culture, and on normative beliefs and violence against children from caregivers outside of school. Students and staff completed cross-sectional surveys at baseline in 2012 and follow-up in 2014. Students’ caregivers completed follow-up surveys only. Data from 3820 students, 597 staff, and 799 caregivers were included in cross-sectional analyses at follow-up. Statistically significant intervention effects were observed for aspects of school operational culture, including students’ greater perceived emotional support from teachers and peers, students’ greater identification with their school, students’ and staffs’ lower acceptance of physical discipline practices in school, and students’ and staffs’ greater perceived involvement in school operations. Outside the school, the intervention was associated with significantly lower normative beliefs accepting the use of physical discipline practices in schools (adjusted mean difference, AMD: −0.77; 95%CI: −0.89 to −0.66; p < 0.001) and at home (AMD: −0.67; 95%CI: −0.80 to −0.54; p < 0.001), based on aggregated caregiver reports. No differences between groups were observed in past-week violence against children at home. This intervention shows promise as a platform for addressing violence against children within the school environment and surrounding community.     

Parental harsh discipline and adolescent problem behavior in China: Perceived normativeness as a moderator

This study examined the relations between parental harsh discipline (psychological aggression and corporal punishment) and adolescents’ externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors and the moderating effects of adolescents’ perceived normativeness of harsh discipline in Chinese society. Using a sample of 1158 Chinese middle-school students, our findings revealed that parental harsh discipline was associated with high levels of adolescent externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Adolescents’ perceived normativeness of psychological aggression buffered the association between parental psychological aggression and adolescents’ internalizing problem behaviors, whereas their perceived normativeness of corporal punishment buffered the association between parental corporal punishment and adolescents’ externalizing problem behaviors. The findings from the current study highlight the importance of considering how adolescents’ perceptions may influence the effects of parental harsh discipline on adolescent adjustment.     

Dimensions of physical punishment and their associations with children's cognitive performance and school adjustment

This study examined how a range of physical punishment measures, ranging from mild corporal punishment to physical abuse, are associated with cognitive performance, school engagement, and peer isolation over a 3- year span among 658 children initially observed between the ages of 8 and 14. Physical punishment was captured in three groups: mild corporal punishment, harsh corporal punishment, and physical abuse, and both caregiver- and child-reported punishment measures were considered. After accounting for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, only Ninitial exposure to physical abuse was significantly associated with declines in cognitive performance. However, all forms of physical punishment were associated with declines in school engagement, and harsh corporal punishment was associated with increased peer isolation. Our findings were relatively consistent regardless of whether physical punishment was reported by the child or caregiver. Overall, our findings suggest that the prevention of physical abuse may enhance children's cognitive performance, but that alone may not be sufficient to ensure children are engaged and well-adjusted in school.     

Cortisol stress reactivity moderates the effects of parental corporal punishment on Chinese preschoolers’ executive function

Background: To date whether the effects of parental corporal punishment (CP) on executive function (EF) distinct components are different is less clear. Moreover, theory and empirical work suggest that physiological regulation system may help to explain the individual differences in the developmental outcomes associated with parental CP.Objective: This study examined the effects of parental CP on Chinese preschoolers’ EF and whether the cortisol stress reactivity would moderate such effects.Participants and Setting: One hundred and fifty-two preschool-aged children and their parents from Beijing China participated in the present study.Methods: Parental CP was reported by fathers and mothers respectively in the first year of the study (2015, spring), and children’s EF was assessed and salivary cortisol was collected in the second year (2016, spring).Results: Both paternal and maternal CP were negatively correlated with children’s EF one year later, and the relation between maternal, but not paternal CP and children’s EF was moderated by cortisol stress reactivity. Specifically, compared to children with high cortisol stress reactivity levels, children with low cortisol stress reactivity levels who experienced maternal CP in the past year showed poorer global EF and working memory.Conclusions: Findings highlight the critical importance of examining the interactive effects of individual physiological level and environmental-level risks on young children’s self-regulation outcomes.     

Parental harsh discipline in mainland China: Prevalence,frequency, and coexistence

The study examined the prevalence, frequency, and coexistence of psychological aggression (PA), corporal punishment (CP), and severe physical abuse (SPA) in mainland China. Using a sample of 2,518 father–mother dyads of 3–15-year-old children, the findings revealed that parental harsh discipline was prevalent in mainland China. The rates of harsh discipline in the current study fell in the middle of the ranges of rates found in other studies. Harsh discipline was most likely directed at boys or children aged 7 years and committed by mothers, young fathers, or high and low socioeconomic status (SES) parents. The prevalence of maternal and paternal PA and CP declined with the children's age. Maternal and paternal SPA first increased and then decreased with child age. The frequency of the three types of maternal and paternal harsh discipline fluctuated depending on the age of the children. In addition, approximately 50% of the mothers and fathers who reported using severe forms of disciplinary practices also engaged in less severe forms of harsh disciplinary practices against their children. SPA generally coexisted with CP and PA, and CP was usually accompanied by PA; however, PA was more likely to occur independently compared with CP and SPA. Moreover, maternal harsh discipline coexisted with paternal harsh discipline to some extent. The coexistence decreased with increasing severity of parental harsh discipline and differed according to child gender. These findings highlight the importance of studying these three types of parental harsh discipline simultaneously and intervening in harsh discipline by mothers and fathers within the same family.