Résumé
This study used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) to examine change in punitive parenting and child aggression. The study confirmed previous research by finding links between harsh, punitive parenting and child aggressive behaviour, both at age 2 to 3 years and at age 8 to 9 years. Children living in punitive environments scored higher in aggressive behaviour than those living in less punitive environments at both ages. This relationship appeared for both genders, for low-income and higher-income families, and for all regions of Canada. The study found that some children experienced parenting practices at age 2 to 3 years that were different from the parenting practices they experienced six years later, at age 8 to 9 years, and that these parenting changes were associated with behaviour changes. Children whose early parenting environment had been punitive but whose environment became less so scored as low in aggressive behaviour as those whose parenting environment was non-punitive at both ages. Likewise, children whose early parenting environment had been non-punitive but whose environment became more punitive over the course of the six years scored just as high in aggressive behaviour as those whose parenting environment was punitive at both ages.