J. Bartkowski, W. Wilcox
Sep 1, 2000
Citations
3
Influential Citations
81
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Social Forces
Abstract
Conservative Protestant child discipline has recently become the subject of considerable social research and public controversy. However, no systematic empirical evidence has been brought to bear on conservative Protestant rates of parental yelling, which we view as a key indicator of an authoritarian style of parenting. We review parenting advice offered by conservative Protestant elites, who articulate child-rearing schemata grounded in both religious and psychological rationales for the discipline of youngsters. Notably, conservative Protestant family specialists advocate corporal punishment while discouraging the parental use of yelling at children. Data drawn from the 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) indicate that conservative Protestant parents of preschoolers and school-age children are significantly less likely to report yelling at their children. Moreover, the estimated effects of denominational affiliation on the parental use of yelling are partly mediated by conservative theological views. We conclude by calling for research that analyzes the effects of the distinctive conservative Protestant approach to discipline on child well-being.