Adverse childhood experiences and use of corporal punishment among women in
low-resource settings: a convergent mixed methods study with mothers of children
under five in the Dominican Republic
#MMPMID41339832
Nelson AK
; Frías MP
; Vibbert M
; Kendall C
; Sánchez-Vincitore L
; Luft H
; Susana MM
; Theall K
; Castro A
BMC Womens Health
2025[Dec]; 25
(1
): 591
PMID41339832
show ga
BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that women who experience corporal punishment as a
child are more likely to use it with their children, particularly in low-resource
settings where higher exposure to additional adverse childhood experiences, such
as food insecurity and a parent's premature death or abandonment, compounds
damage from early exposure to corporal punishment. However, mothers who
experienced corporal punishment as a child and simultaneously kind,
compassionate, secure caregiving from the same or another caregiver, are less
likely to expose their children to corporal punishment. Not enough research
investigates how early maternal experiences with corporal punishment impact
everyday parenting behaviors in contexts of poverty outside high-income
countries. This investigation seeks to provide actionable information for
researchers and practitioners to support families to heal from intergenerational
trauma in settings of poverty. METHODS: We used a convergent mixed methods design
to understand how early experiences with corporal punishment shape parenting
practices. We conducted a brief demographic and health questionnaire followed by
in-depth semi-structured open-ended interviews with 25 mothers (19-42 years old)
of low socioeconomic position in the Dominican Republic, who had children
3-5 years old at the time of the interview. Women offered reflections about how
they believe their childhood experiences shaped their approach to parenting. We
analyzed interview content using thematic analysis, comparing themes between
women who use corporal punishment and those who do not. RESULTS: Fourteen women
reported not using corporal punishment and 11 reported using it. A large majority
of all participants described receiving corporal punishment as a child (79% of
those who do not use corporal punishment and 82% of those who do). Participants
often struggled to remember experiences from childhood and became emotionally
disconnected or desensitized when discussing abusive events from their early
life. Some participants expressed wanting to raise their children without
corporal punishment, however they could not always control their impulses. A few
mothers demonstrated resolution when discussing their early experiences with
corporal punishment. Adolescent mothers reported using corporal punishment with
their child much more frequently than older mothers, with only one mother over
the age of 20 at the birth of her first child using corporal punishment. Those
who used corporal punishment with their child also reported higher rates of
characteristics suggesting lower socioeconomic position. We identified two main
categories for participant explanations for the use of corporal punishment: (1) a
disciplinary strategy used after escalated threats, or (2) a response to feeling
overwhelmed. Whether mothers considered corporal punishment a violent parenting
behavior depended on whether it led to injury, what part of the body was
targeted, its regularity, and whether they perceived its use was warranted.
CONCLUSIONS: For early child interventions to be effective at preventing use of
corporal punishment among women of low socioeconomic position in the Dominican
Republic, practitioners should consider low-cost, scalable community-based
therapeutic programs that address the impact of traumatic early childhood
experiences.
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