Neighborhood Correlates of Cultural Differences in Perceived Effectiveness of Parental Disciplinary Actions

Objective. This study examines variations in attitudes regarding child discipline by race/ethnicity and by characteristics of the residential neighborhood. Design. A survey of 3,115 adults living in 13 different neighborhoods in Texas was conducted. Respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of 8 different discipline strategies: Explain, Ignore, Slap Hand, Spank with Hand, Threaten, Time Out, Withdraw Privileges, and Yell. Chi square analysis and multilevel logistic regression analysis were used to examine variations in the endorsement of these strategies by race/ethnicity, neighborhood structural characteristics, and neighborhood social processes. Results. Latin American respondents considered yelling and threatening to be less effective than did European American respondents. Neighborhood conditions were related to the endorsement of harsh discipline such as yelling and threatening, time out and withdrawal of privileges, and explaining to the child why the behavior is unacceptable, but they were not related to the endorsement of the use of physical discipline. However, the nature of the associations differed by race/ethnicity. Neighborhood cohesion and collective efficacy were associated with decreased endorsement of yelling/threatening for African American and U.S.-born Latin American respondents, and decreased endorsement of time out/withdrawal of privileges for European American respondents. Neighborhood physical disorder, social disorder, and fear were associated with increased endorsement of time out/withdrawal of privileges among European American respondents but were not associated with the endorsement of these strategies among ethnic minorities. Conclusion. Attitudes about discipline are shaped by myriad factors, including cultural heritage and community context. Furthermore, the influence of neighborhood conditions on parenting attitudes may be different for different racial/ethnic groups.