Understanding the dynamics of corporal punishment: Knowledge, consequences and associated factors of corporal punishment among students aged 15 - 19 years in Colombo and Kegalle Districts, Sri Lanka

Introduction: Corporal punishment is the commonest form of disciplinary measure implemented in schools. The distinction between corporal punishment and child abuse is contentious. The aim of this study was to describe the knowledge and consequences of corporal punishment among students in schools aged 15-19 years and associated factors in Colombo and Kegalle districts.
Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study of 212 students aged 15 - 19 years. Convenience sampling was used to gather a representative sample via a self-administered online questionnaire. p<0.05 was taken as the level of significance.
Results: Corporal punishment was experienced by most of the study population (86.4%). Being ordered to kneel (87.8%) and stand on a chair (87%) were the most frequent methods of punishment. Most study participants were aware that corporal punishment is illegal (42.9%), but a similar proportion were ignorant (41.6%). More than half of the study population had felt physical discomfort (59.2%) and believed that increased aggressiveness and rebellious attitudes were outcomes of corporal punishment (53.1%). Majority of the students (76.7%) did not believe that corporal punishment was acceptable. Only 29% stated it had a positive influence. A significant 13.1% responded that consumption of alcohol/substance abuse as a social consequence of this type of punishment. The association between the mother’s employment status and overall knowledge regarding corporal punishment was statistically significant (p<0.05)
Conclusions: Knowledge regarding corporal punishment was poor. Consequences were found to be physically, psychologically and socially profound.