Just because everybody else is doing it, that doesn't mean you should, too. From playgrounds to parties, the mantra resonates among tots and teens with each choice they make. But apparently, parents are the ones who need that advice. When it comes to discipline, too many parents let tempers flare out of control, says a new study by sociologist Murray A. Straus, codirector of the Family Research Lab at the University of New Hampshire. But nearly all Americans do, no matter their ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic group, the study of 991 parents concludes.
Verbal attacks start early on.
Half of parents have screamed, yelled, or shouted in rage at their infants. In some cases, the aggression is startling. One of five parents has threatened to kick a teenage son or daughter out of the house, while a quarter have sworn at their offspring. The episodes can have serious repercussions, warns Straus, who presented the findings at last week's American Sociological Association meeting. His earlier work has linked parental verbal aggressiveness with children's mental illness and, along with a dozen other studies, showed that a parent's vocal fury can increase the odds of a child's developing delinquency, depression, and even bulimia.