Invitation to Join the

International Parenting Study

 

Angèle Fauchier

Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire

Durham, NH 03824 603-862-1219 angele.fauchier@unh.edu

 

Murray A. Straus

Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire

Durham, NH 03824 603-862-2594 murray.straus@unh.edu

 

Website: http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/IPS.htm

 

This study focuses on the methods used by parents to correct children’s misbehavior, as measured by the Dimensions of Discipline Inventory (DDI). The DDI manual can be downloaded at: http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/DDI.htm

 

The data will be obtained by members of a research consortium in about 40 nations, representing all major world regions.

 

The members will obtain the data using questionnaires completed by university students. Typically, students will complete the questionnaire during a class period. Depending on the university, it is also possible to collect data using a web-based survey of the students or through a “subject pool” in which students taking certain courses receive credit for research participation.

 

The data on parenting will be obtained using the Adult Recall form of the DDI. Students will respond about what their parents did when the students were 10 years old. This age strikes a balance between being old enough for most students to be able to recall the period, but young enough that their parents were still engaging in discipline on a regular basis.

 

The questionnaire will consist of the following parts:

1. Demographic information

2. Dimensions of Discipline Inventory

3. Other measures including:

                Age 10

                impact of discipline

                other aspects of parenting

                developmental milestones

                relative responsibility of mothers and fathers

                physical aggression from parents to child

                aggression from child to parents

                aggression between parents

                 

                Current

                aggression between dating partners

                legal socialization

                closeness between parents and student

                symptoms such as anxiety, depression, hostility, alcohol abuse

                psychological well-being

                history of criminal and antisocial behavior

                violence attitudes

                individualism-collectivism

                familism

                locus of control

                response biases

4. Measures added by each consortium member

 

Parts 1, 2, and 3 will be the same across all consortium sites. Part 4 will be unique to each site. The length of Part 4 will depend on the amount of time available to each consortium member for data collection (for example, the length of class periods at their university).

 

Part 2 will provide data about different discipline methods used throughout the world, including frequency of use and students’ beliefs about the acceptability of the different methods. Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 will provide data to test hypotheses about factors influencing parent behavior and the effects of different discipline methods on the child.

 

Each consortium member will be responsible for translating and back-translating the questionnaire to help assure comparability. For more information about the translation process, please see the Translation and Modification guidelines on the IPS website: http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/IPS%20Translation%20and%20Modification%20Guidelines.doc


 

Consortium members will mail the completed questionnaires to the University of New Hampshire, where completed questionnaires will be digitized and scored. Each consortium member will receive a codebook and a computer file (in SPSS, Excel, or other format of their choosing) containing their data.

 

The data will be the property of the consortium member who administered the questionnaires, but they give Fauchier and Straus and their colleagues the right to use the data in Parts 1, 2, and 3 for cross-national comparison and pooled data analyses. Only the consortium member (or those he or she designates) can use the data in Part 4. For more detail on the use of data, please see the Agreement for Participation on the IPS website: http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/IPS-Member%20Agreement.pdf

 

If you are interested in joining this consortium, please contact Angèle Fauchier at angele.fauchier@unh.edu