A recent University of Michigan investigation indicates that if veteran parents struggle to comprehend their children’s thoughts and feelings, they are more inclined to resort to spanking, slapping, or pushing their kids.

Previous findings have indicated that symptoms of post-traumatic stress are significantly correlated with the employment of severe parenting methods among veteran families.

“Grasping a child’s emotions and actions is vital for efficient parenting. This research uncovers the hurdles that parents encounter in interpreting emotional signals, especially when influenced by elements such as racial identity and the repercussions of traumatic stress,” stated Olivia Chang, a doctoral candidate at the U-M School of Social Work and the principal author of the study.

The U-M investigation concluded that racial identity alone did not exert a direct effect on the implementation of physical discipline. Nevertheless, in multiracial families, an excessive belief in comprehending a child’s psychological state may prompt parents to employ this harsh strategy more often.

Chang, along with colleague Xiafei Wang, an assistant professor at Syracuse University’s School of Social Work, examined how the cognitive abilities of nearly 500 U.S. veteran parents influenced their application of strict parenting methods, such as corporal punishment. Participants shared their experiences with post-traumatic stress, assessed their understanding of mental situations regarding themselves and their children, and their use of corporal punishment.

The researchers discovered that specific mentalization abilities could predict the use of corporal punishment even more so than PTSD symptoms. Veteran parents who harbored misconceptions about their child’s actions, like presuming ill intent, were more prone to utilize corporal punishment, irrespective of the family’s racial identity.

Conversely, parents who exhibited excessive confidence in their interpretation of their child’s emotions and thoughts, neglecting other viewpoints, were more likely to resort to corporal punishment in multiracial households.

To mitigate the occurrence of corporal punishment, social workers and other family practitioners ought to explore the connections between parents’ prior traumas and their capacity to understand their children within the framework of the family’s social environment, including their racial identity.