Does child exposure to different discipline types vary by religion of caregiver in religiously diverse Trinidad and Tobago?

Abstract

Background Some United States' (US) studies report that children in Conservative Protestant households are more exposed to physical punishments than children in other Christian and non-religious households. However, few studies examine the relationship between caregiver religion and discipline outside of the US and with inclusion of non-Christian religions. Objective This study examined whether children with Conservative Protestant caregivers were more likely to be exposed to certain disciplinary practices than children with caregivers of other religions in religiously diverse Trinidad and Tobago. Participants and setting Data were available from caregivers of 3598 children from 1 to 14 years of age from a representative household survey in Trinidad and Tobago. Methods Logistic regression models were used to determine whether caregiver religion was associated with two physical punishments (Spanked, Hit with Object) and three nonphysical practices (Yelled at, Explained Wrong Behavior, Gave Something Else to Do) while adjusting for covariates. Results Prevalence of being Yelled at and the two physical punishments significantly varied by caregiver religion with the lowest prevalences for Hindu caregivers. In adjusted models, caregiver religion was significantly associated with both physical punishments. Children of Conservative Protestant caregivers had higher odds ratios of physical punishments compared to those with Hindu caregivers but not compared to those with Catholic caregivers. Conclusions The lower prevalence of physical punishment in Hindu households in Trinidad and Tobago, consistent with some other countries, warrants further investigation. Pattern variation across Christian groups demonstrated some differences from North American and European studies suggesting caution in assuming generalization across countries.