Violence Exposure and the Association Between Young African American Mothersʹ Discipline and Child Problem Behavior

Objective en of adolescent mothers are at increased risk of violence exposure and behavior problems, which have been linked to mothersʹ disciplinary practices. This study examines how the effect of young African American mothersʹ discipline on their preschool-age childrenʹs externalizing and internalizing behavior varies by mother and child violence exposure. s le of 230 African American mothers who gave birth as adolescents and their 3- to 6-year-old children were recruited from community-based day care and primary health care sites in the Washington, DC, metropolitan region. In-person interviews were conducted by trained research assistants who administered standard survey instruments. s chical regression models revealed an interaction effect such that adolescent mothersʹ harsh disciplinary practices, specifically physical discipline strategies, were positively associated with young childrenʹs internalizing and externalizing behavior in the context of high or moderate, but not low, maternal violence exposure. sions ed with less violence-exposed mothers, the harsh disciplinary practices of young African American mothers who have been exposed to high levels of violence are more strongly associated with their childrenʹs problem behavior. Practitioners should screen mothers for violence exposure in order to address potential issues of discipline and behavior problems.