IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/pubeco/v256y2026ics0047272726000265.html

Violent discipline and parental behavior: Short- and medium-term effects of digital parenting support to caregivers

Author

Listed:
  • Dinarte-Diaz, Lelys
  • Ravindran, Saravana
  • Shah, Manisha
  • Powers, Shawn
  • Baker-Henningham, Helen

Abstract

Approximately 75% of children aged 2 to 4 worldwide are regularly subjected to violent discipline. We study the impact of a digitally delivered intervention on positive parenting practices in Jamaica using a randomized controlled trial. Results show that the intervention improves caregiver knowledge (0.52 SD), attitudes toward violence (0.2 SD), and reduces caregiver violence against children (0.12 SD). Treatment children experience fewer emotional problems (0.17 SD). We also find reductions in caregiver depression (0.12 SD), anxiety (0.16 SD), and parental stress (0.16 SD) for treatment caregivers nine months later. The digital delivery has important scalable policy implications that could help decrease violence against children worldwide.

Suggested Citation

  • Dinarte-Diaz, Lelys & Ravindran, Saravana & Shah, Manisha & Powers, Shawn & Baker-Henningham, Helen, 2026. "Violent discipline and parental behavior: Short- and medium-term effects of digital parenting support to caregivers," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:256:y:2026:i:c:s0047272726000265
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2026.105590
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047272726000265
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2026.105590?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anderson, Michael L., 2008. "Multiple Inference and Gender Differences in the Effects of Early Intervention: A Reevaluation of the Abecedarian, Perry Preschool, and Early Training Projects," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 103(484), pages 1481-1495.
    2. Baron, E. Jason & Goldstein, Ezra G. & Wallace, Cullen T., 2020. "Suffering in silence: How COVID-19 school closures inhibit the reporting of child maltreatment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    3. Fletcher, Jason M., 2009. "Childhood mistreatment and adolescent and young adult depression," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(5), pages 799-806, March.
    4. Mary F. Evans & Matthew C. Harris & Lawrence M. Kessler, 2022. "The Hazards of Unwinding the Prescription Opioid Epidemic: Implications for Child Maltreatment," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 192-231, November.
    5. Scott E. Carrell & Mark L. Hoekstra, 2010. "Externalities in the Classroom: How Children Exposed to Domestic Violence Affect Everyone's Kids," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(1), pages 211-228, January.
    6. Lindo, Jason M. & Schaller, Jessamyn & Hansen, Benjamin, 2018. "Caution! Men not at work: Gender-specific labor market conditions and child maltreatment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 77-98.
    7. Christopher Blattman & Donald P Green & Daniel Ortega & Santiago Tobón, 2021. "Place-Based Interventions at Scale: The Direct and Spillover Effects of Policing and City Services on Crime [Clustering as a Design Problem]," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 19(4), pages 2022-2051.
    8. Jeffrey R Kling & Jeffrey B Liebman & Lawrence F Katz, 2007. "Experimental Analysis of Neighborhood Effects," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 75(1), pages 83-119, January.
    9. David S. Lee, 2009. "Training, Wages, and Sample Selection: Estimating Sharp Bounds on Treatment Effects," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 76(3), pages 1071-1102.
    10. Ingar Haaland & Christopher Roth & Johannes Wohlfart, 2023. "Designing Information Provision Experiments," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 61(1), pages 3-40, March.
    11. Jonathan de Quidt & Johannes Haushofer & Christopher Roth, 2018. "Measuring and Bounding Experimenter Demand," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(11), pages 3266-3302, November.
    12. Jin Zhou & James Heckman & Bei Liu & Mai Lu, 2026. "The Impact of a Prototypical Home Visiting Program on Child Skills," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 44(1), pages 119-148.
    13. Miriam Bruhn & David McKenzie, 2009. "In Pursuit of Balance: Randomization in Practice in Development Field Experiments," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 1(4), pages 200-232, October.
    14. De Simone, Francesco & Mejia, Camila & Martinez-Carrasco, José & Perez-Vincent, Santiago M. & Villalba, Harold, 2022. "Mitigating Coercive Parenting through Home Visitations: The Impacts of a Parenting Program Targeted at Vulnerable Communities in Jamaica," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 12463, Inter-American Development Bank.
    15. Peter Burton & Shelley Phipps & Lori Curtis, 2002. "All in the Family: A Simultaneous Model of Parenting Style and Child Conduct," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(2), pages 368-372, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lelys I. Dinarte Diaz & Saravana Ravindran & Manisha Shah & Shawn M. Powers & Helen Baker-Henningham, 2023. "Violent Discipline and Parental Behavior: Short- and Medium-term Effects of Virtual Parenting Support to Caregivers," NBER Working Papers 31338, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Sylvia, Sean & Luo, Renfu & Zhong, Jingdong & Dill, Sarah-Eve & Medina, Alexis & Rozelle, Scott, 2022. "Passive versus active service delivery: Comparing the effects of two parenting interventions on early cognitive development in rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    3. Michael Callen & Miguel Fajardo-Steinhäuser & Michael G. Findley & Tarek Ghani, 2025. "Can Digital Aid Deliver During Humanitarian Crises?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 71(11), pages 9730-9748, November.
    4. Grewenig, Elisabeth & Lergetporer, Philipp & Werner, Katharina, 2020. "Gender Norms and Labor-Supply Expectations: Experimental Evidence from Adolescents," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 259, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    5. Bobby W. Chung & Jian Zou, 2023. "Understanding spillover of peer parental education: Randomization evidence and mechanisms," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 61(3), pages 496-522, July.
    6. Guigonan S. Adjognon & Daan van Soest & Jonas Guthoff, 2021. "Reducing Hunger with Payments for Environmental Services (PES): Experimental Evidence from Burkina Faso," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(3), pages 831-857, May.
    7. Lasse J. Jessen & Sebastian Koehne & Patrick Nüß & Jens Ruhose, 2024. "Socioeconomic Inequality in Life Expectancy: Perception and Policy Demand," CESifo Working Paper Series 10940, CESifo.
    8. Irena Grosfeld & Etienne Madinier & Seyhun Orcan Sakalli & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya, 2024. "Independent Media, Propaganda, and Religiosity: Evidence from Poland," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(4), pages 361-403, October.
    9. Lubega, Patrick & Nakakawa, Frances & Narciso, Gaia & Newman, Carol & Kaaya, Archileo N. & Kityo, Cissy & Tumuhimbise, Gaston A., 2021. "Body and mind: Experimental evidence from women living with HIV," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    10. Angelucci, Manuela & Fabregas, Raissa & Vazquez, Antonia, 2026. "The Well-Being Effects of Digital Mental Health Care," IZA Discussion Papers 18538, IZA Network @ LISER.
    11. Sarah Baird & Joan Hamory Hicks & Michael Kremer & Edward Miguel, 2016. "Worms at Work: Long-run Impacts of a Child Health Investment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 131(4), pages 1637-1680.
    12. Depew, Briggs & Eren, Ozkan, 2016. "Born on the wrong day? School entry age and juvenile crime," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 73-90.
    13. Harris, J. Andrew & van der Windt, Peter, 2023. "Empowering women or increasing response bias? Experimental evidence from Congo," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    14. Giorgia Barboni & Nicol√°s de Roux & Santiago Perez-Cardona, 2024. "Perceived Social Acceptance and Migrants' Financial Inclusion," Documentos CEDE 21278, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    15. Eszter Czibor & David Jimenez‐Gomez & John A. List, 2019. "The Dozen Things Experimental Economists Should Do (More of)," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(2), pages 371-432, October.
    16. Dervisevic,Ervin & Perova,Elizaveta & Sahay,Abhilasha, 2021. "Long-Term Impacts of Short Exposure to Conditional Cash Transfers in Adolescence : Evidence from the Philippines," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9617, The World Bank.
    17. Dalle, Axana & Verhofstadt, Elsy & Baert, Stijn, 2024. "The subsidy trap: Explaining the unsatisfactory effectiveness of hiring subsidies for the senior unemployed," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    18. Lergetporer, Philipp & Werner, Katharina & Woessmann, Ludger, 2020. "Educational inequality and public policy preferences: Evidence from representative survey experiments," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    19. Rafkin, Charlie & Shreekumar, Advik & Vautrey, Pierre-Luc, 2021. "When guidance changes: Government stances and public beliefs," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    20. Berman, Eli & Callen, Michael & Gibson, Clark C. & Long, James D. & Rezaee, Arman, 2019. "Election fairness and government legitimacy in Afghanistan," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 292-317.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:256:y:2026:i:c:s0047272726000265. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505578 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.