First-Generation Immigrant Mothers Report Less Spanking of 1-Year-Old Children Compared with Mothers of Other Immigrant
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First-Generation Immigrant Mothers Report Less Spanking of 1-YearOld Children Compared with Mothers of Other Immigrant Generations Maya I. Ragavan1 · Kevin Griffith2 · Megan Bair‑Merritt1 · Howard J. Cabral2 · Caroline J. Kistin1
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract Introduction The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages spanking, especially of infants and young toddlers. This study examines the association between maternal immigrant generation and reported spanking of 1-year-old children, and whether this association is impacted by domestic violence (DV). Methods We conducted a cross-sectional secondary data analysis using 1-year wave data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. We used descriptive statistics to explore demographic differences among first-generation, second-generation, and third-generation or higher (reference group) mothers. We conducted logistic regression to examine the association between immigrant generation and spanking, controlling for covariates. We used stratified logistic regression to evaluate how experiencing DV may impact the association between immigrant generation and spanking. Results The study included 370 first-generation mothers, 165 second-generation mothers, and 1754 reference group mothers. The prevalence of spanking differed across immigrant generations (p = 0.004). First-generation mothers had statistically significant lower odds of spanking compared with the reference group (adjusted OR 0.26; CI 0.11–0.64). Second-generation mothers also had lower odds of spanking compared with the reference group, although this result did not reach statistical significance (adjusted OR 0.60; CI 0.22–1.63). Mothers’ report of experiencing DV appeared to impact the relationship between immigrant generation and spanking. Discussion First-generation immigrant mothers had lower odds of reported spanking compared to reference group mothers, an association which is attenuated for both second-generation immigrant mothers and mothers who have experienced DV. Future work should explore the potential factors that drive variations in spanking between immigrant generations. Keywords Spanking · Immigrant · Domestic violence · Secondary data analysis
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* Maya I. Ragavan [email protected] Kevin Griffith [email protected] Megan Bair‑Merritt megan.bair‑[email protected] Howard J. Cabral [email protected] Caroline J. Kistin [email protected] 1
Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, 88 E. Newton St, Vose Hall 3, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
2
What is already known on the subject? Spanking, especially of infants and young toddlers, has profound health and developmental effects on children. Few past studies have explored differences in maternal reports of spanking 1-yearold children across immigrant generations. What this study adds? First-generation immigrant mothers (born abroad) have significantly lower adjusted odds of spankin
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