Peer-reviewed article

Prevalence of and factors contributing to violent discipline in families and its association with violent discipline by teachers and peer violence

Faustine Bwire Masath, Mabula G. Nkuba, Tobias Hecker · 11 Nov 2022

Abstract

Abstract Using a multi‐informant approach, we assessed 914 children (mean age = 12.58 years, standard deviation [SD] = 1.43) and 893 caregivers (98.3 per cent female, mean age = 40.07 years, SD = 11.46) in Tanzania. Results showed that 93.3 per cent (n = 828/893) of caregivers reported using violent discipline, while 91.0 per cent (n = 832/914) of the children experienced it in their families. Further, 95.0 per cent (n = 868/914) and 93.7 per cent (n = 853/914) of students experienced violent discipline by teachers and peer violence at school, respectively. In a multilevel path model, children's mental health problems (standardised regression coefficient [β] = 0.192 [CI: 0.130, 0.255], p < 0.001) were associated with their experience of violent discipline in families. Caregivers' own childhood experience of violent discipline (𝛽 = 0.169 [CI: 0.105, 0.232], p < 0.001), their positive attitudes towards violent discipline (𝛽 = 0.228 [CI: 0.166, 0.290], p < 0.001) and mental health problems (𝛽 = 0.175 [CI: 0.113, 0.237], p < 0.001) were associated with their use of violent discipline. Violent discipline in families significantly correlated with violent discipline by teachers (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.413 [CI: 0.354, 0.472], p < 0.001) and peer violence (r = 0.354 [CI: 0.294, 0.415], p < 0.001) implying children's polyvictimisation.