Development and Validation of the Parenting Practices and Discipline Scale in an Ethnically Diverse Sample

Child abuse is recognized as a global health issue, but there are vast differences in parenting practices across cultures. Parenting behaviors and discipline strategies acceptable in some countries may be considered abusive in the U.S. This study sought to develop the Parenting Practices and Discipline Scale (PPDS) to assess parental practices that may be culturally acceptable but potentially harmful to children. Two related studies were conducted: the first established the initial psychometric properties of the PPDS using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), which supported a two-factor structure reflecting culturally acceptable vs. abusive discipline practices, and the second utilized regression analyses with a diverse sample of 1,089 college students to test the PPDS. Findings indicated that gender and parental status were the strongest predictors, with women and parents more likely to classify behaviors as abusive. Among Hispanic participants, those not born in the U.S. were more likely to view certain behaviors (e.g., spanking) as abusive compared to U.S.-born Hispanics. Across racial/ethnic groups, Hispanic participants were more likely than Black participants to classify culturally acceptable practices as abusive. These results underscore that demographic factors can shape perceptions of what practices are considered abusive. Furthermore, the intersectionality of different identities can create further differences. The PPDS represents a novel measure that captures culturally situated discipline practices not assessed in existing tools. Although findings offer preliminary support for validity, future research should evaluate the scale through confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance testing across cultural groups. This study aimed to develop and validate the Parenting Practices and Discipline Scale (PPDS), a tool designed to assess attitudes toward parental behaviors and discipline techniques. Findings suggest that gender and parental status are significant influences in perception of abusive acts. Analysis revealed significant differences in perceptions across racial and ethnic identities. The findings suggest a need for development of parenting programs targeting potentially abusive parenting behaviors among minority groups.