VALIDITY OF A SCALE MEASURING BELIEFS REGARDING THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF PUNISHING CHILDREN - A STUDY OF MEXICAN MOTHERS

This paper discusses the influence that ''beliefs concerning the corre ctive effects of punishment'' have on child punishment and abuse in a Mexican population. One hundred and five mothers responded to a questi onnaire measuring these beliefs, and their responses were contrasted w ith the report those mothers gave regarding the physical punishment th ey inflict upon their children. A scale consisting of six items regist ering beliefs was developed and administered. The reliability (interna l consistency) of the scale was assessed, and its validity was tested by using a factor analytic structural equations model which produced h igh factorial loadings from a ''beliefs'' factor to the scale's items. This was interpreted as a confirmation of construct validity. An indi cation of predictive validity was found in a high, significant structu ral correlation between the beliefs factor and a ''corrective punishme nt'' factor, measured by a series of related items. Mothers reported a s abusing their children produced higher scores on the ''beliefs'' sca le as compared to ''control'' mothers. The direct, significant effect of parent's beliefs on the punishment of children explains much about the child maltreatment problem in the studied society.