Understanding the childhood experiences of Singaporeans: a qualitative study analysing parents' and young adult children's perceptions of physical discipline

Abstract

Despite being banned in more than 30 countries, physical discipline remains legal and widely accepted in Singapore, with eight in ten parents reporting its use. Given that physical discipline is associated with detrimental outcomes such as increased aggression and poor parent-child relationships, the present study aims to investigate why this disciplinary method continues to receive widespread acceptance in Singapore by adopting a qualitative approach. 30 parent-child dyads were recruited for the semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis revealed three unique themes, (a) perceived as normative practice, (b) perceived as serving both parent and child-centred goals and, (c) shaped children’s perceptions of deservedness and necessity. These themes suggest that most Singaporeans have internalized and accepted the use of physical discipline, viewing physical discipline as normative, deserved and beneficial. Such findings thus highlight that more needs to be done to change Singaporeans’ perceptions of physical discipline and to deter its use. This may be through laws prohibiting physical discipline and nation-wide programmes to educate Singaporeans on the negative effects of physical discipline. As this study relied largely on participants’ recollections, future studies can consider conducting longitudinal studies to better understand physical discipline attitudes at different time-points and to examine changes in children’s attitudes after becoming parents themselves.