The Moral Dilemma of Spanking as a Disciplinary Measure in the Filipino Setting

Abstract

Through the years, corporal punishment has always been treated as a controversial issue because of the clashing ideas and perceptions among parents, professionals and children alike regarding its propriety and morality as a method of child discipline. Being the subject of unending debates, is spanking a form of physical discipline, or is it a violation of the rights of a child? This study sought to examine the moral dilemma involved in the concept of spanking as practiced by Filipino parents. Specifically, it aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of spanking a child as well as parents’ cognitions, attitudes and engagements with spanking. A transdisciplinary, mixed methods approach was utilized in this study. A total of one hundred fifty-six parents from different institutions and communities in Metro Manila participated in the survey, with 8 of them selected for the indepth interviews. The findings showed that out of the 156 respondents, 53 percent claimed to have ever spanked their children. The common reasons for spanking were disobedience, repeated offence, untoward behavior, stubbornness and disrespect. The logistic regression analysis indicated that the significant predictors of spanking were parents’ age, use of alcohol, experience of living with an alcohol and/or drug user, childhood experience of spanking and physical abuse, and attitudes toward spanking. In general, parents had different views and attitudes on spanking. The diversity and contradiction in their perceptions and engagement with spanking are evidences that parents experienced a moral dilemma on the use of spanking. The dilemma may be attributed to the opposing views of child rights advocates which may be incongruent with the Filipino cultural belief that spanking is a normative component of parental discipline that has been traditionally passed on from generation to generation. Recommendations for the enforcement of proper parenting programs and seminars, as well as future research was made.