CHILDRENS PERCEPTIONS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT, CARETAKER ACCEPTANCE, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT IN A POOR, BIRACIAL SOUTHERN COMMUNITY

This study explores two related questions about relationships between perceived justness and perceived harshness of corporal punishment, per ceived caretaker acceptance-rejection, and children's psychological ad justment: Are children's perceptions of caretaker harshness and unjust ness of physical punishment associated with children's psychological m aladjustment? Or does the relationship between punishment and maladjus tment disappear after controlling for perceived caretaker acceptance-r ejection? The research is based on a proportional, stratified, random sample of 281 Black and White youths in grades 3-12 within the public school system of a poor, biracial county of southeastern Georgia. Resu lts of structural equation modeling suggest that physical punishment i s associated with children's psychological maladjustment only if punis hment is seen by youths as a form of caretaker rejection. The findings contribute information to an ongoing debate about the relationship be tween physical punishment and children's psychological adjustment.