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The Role of Corporal Punishment of Children in the Perpetuation of Intimate Partner Violence in Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2018

Angelika Poulsen
Angelika Poulsen*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2600, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Angelika Poulsen, PhD candidate, Department of Sociology, Australian National University, ACT., Acton, ACT 2600, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been widely acknowledged as a prominent problem throughout Australia. A growing body of research has linked corporal punishment of children in the home with numerous adverse outcomes both in childhood and adulthood. Some of these adverse outcomes in childhood, such as aggression and antisocial behaviour, may be antecedents for involvement in violence as an adult. Adverse longitudinal outcomes of corporal punishment in childhood include involvement in intimate partner violence as an adult, both as victim and as perpetrator. Corporal punishment is a type of family violence that is legal in Australia, yet its role in the family violence scenario is not yet fully appreciated. This article presents extant scientific literature on the link between corporal punishment in childhood and involvement in intimate partner violence in adulthood, and argues for the employment of this knowledge in the implementation of policy making around corporal punishment of children.

Keywords

corporal punishmentdomestic violencefamily violenceintimate partner violenceintergenerational transmission of violence
Type
Article
Information
Children Australia , Volume 43 , Issue 1 , March 2018 , pp. 32 - 41
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2018 

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