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Violent Discipline and Parental Behavior : Short- and Medium-term Effects of VirtualParenting Support to Caregivers

Author

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

Abstract

Approximately 75% of children aged 2 to 4 worldwide are regularly subjected to violent disciplineacross the globe. This paper studies the impact of a virtually-delivered intervention on positive parentingpractices in Jamaica. Short-term results indicate that the intervention improves caregiver knowledge (0.52 SD) andattitudes around violence (0.2 SD) and leads to meaningful changes in caregiver disciplining behaviors, with a 0.12 SDreduction in violence against children. Treatment children also experience fewer emotional problems (0.17 SD).Medium-term results (nine months later) show reductions in caregiver depression (0.12 SD), anxiety (0.16 SD), andparental stress (0.16 SD) for treatment caregivers. The virtual delivery has important scalable policy implicationswhich could help decrease violence against children across the globe.

Suggested Citation

  • Dinarte Diaz,Lelys Ileana & Ravindran,Saravana & Shah,Manisha & Powers,Shawn Michael & Baker-Henningham,Helen, 2023. "Violent Discipline and Parental Behavior : Short- and Medium-term Effects of VirtualParenting Support to Caregivers," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10507, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10507
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    Cited by:

    1. Amaral, Sofia & Dinarte-Diaz, Lelys & Dominguez, Patricio & Perez-Vincent, Santiago M., 2024. "Helping families help themselves: The (Un)intended impacts of a digital parenting program," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    2. Hassan, Hashibul & Islam, Asad & Kayes, Imrul & Wang, Liang Choon, 2025. "Building education resilience through parenting style and out-of-school learning: Field experimental evidence from rural Bangladesh," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    3. Elisabetta Aurino & Sharon Wolf, 2024. "A ‘smart buy' for all? Unequal and unintended consequences of a messaging program for child education," UB School of Economics Working Papers 2024/461, University of Barcelona School of Economics.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • 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

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