A longitudinal investigation of the effects of parental discipline strategies on social competence in early childhood

Karleah Harris; Charlene Harris; Lisa Dunkley

doi:10.37291/2717638X.202232155

Authors

Karleah Harris University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7243-4762
Charlene Harris State University of New York at Oswego https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2797-4791
Lisa Dunkley East Tennessee State University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5319-3131

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37291/2717638X.202232155

Keywords:

Parental discipline, Social competence, Fragile families, Childhood, Urban families

Abstract

In the current study, we investigated the associations between parenting discipline strategies (i.e., physical punishment and non-violent punishment) and social development using n = 3265 reports from primary caregivers across three waves of data. Analyses were conducted using cross-lagged structural equation modeling, where we evaluated the developmental effects of physical punishment and non-violent punishment on social competence. The findings showed partial support for developmental changes between non-violent punishment and social competence unfold reciprocally and longitudinally; the relationship between physical punishment and social competence appeared unrelated, as physical punishment in Wave 2 only negatively predicted social competence in Wave 3. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the developmental pathways for parenting discipline strategies and social skill development among children living in urban neighborhoods.

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