Prevalence of corporal punishment among students in Washington State schools
D. C. Grossman, M. J. Rauh and F. P. Rivara
Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of corporal punishment in
Washington State and the factors associated with its use in Washington
elementary and secondary schools. DESIGN: Cross-sectional mail survey
performed during the summer of 1992. SETTING: All elementary and secondary
schools in the state of Washington. RESULTS: One thousand eighteen schools
(47%) responded to the survey, of which 80% were publicly funded and 63%
were located in urban areas. The study sample closely resembled the profile
of all schools in the state. Almost 11% of participating schools permitted
corporal punishment at the time of the survey and 3.2% reported its actual
use during the 1991-1992 school year, resulting in an estimated prevalence
of 7.2 incidents per 1000 students per year. Sixteen percent of corporal
punishment actions occurred in schools not permitting its use. Ninety
percent of public schools relied on district policy regarding corporal
punishment. School characteristics associated with the use of corporal
punishment included rural location (crude odds ratio, 2.2; 95% confidence
interval, 1.5 to 3.4), enrollment of less than 500 students (crude odds
ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.7), and kindergarten to
eighth-grade or kindergarten to 12th-grade enrollment (crude odds ratio,
2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.6 to 3.9). CONCLUSIONS: The lack of a
statewide ban on school corporal punishment at the time of this survey was
associated with the continued use of corporal punishment against children
in districts that continued to permit it. School policies against corporal
punishment were associated with much lower prevalence. Continued efforts
are needed to enact and enforce laws in the remaining states that have not
yet banned corporal punishment.
