Parenting and discipline in post-conflict Sierra Leone

Background: While the literature on physical punishment concludes that it has negative effects on children, the practice remains common in many countries. In post-conflict countries with non-governmental organizations (NGO) operating in child protection, traditional disciplinary practices may conflict with international child rights agendas. The country of Sierra Leone has a unique history of conflict, abject poverty, low literacy, and weak governance - often, NGO agents are responsible for providing social services that the government is unable to consistently provide. Objective: We examined how Sierra Leonean caregivers think about appropriate discipline for children, and whether they perceived any changes in their attitudes toward disciplinary practices since the end of the war. Participants and Setting: We collected data from parents and caregivers in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas of Sierra Leone's four districts. Methods: We used focus groups (12 groups, n = 92) and individual interviews (n = 21) to collect data in 2013. Focus groups and interviews were conducted by research assistants fluent in Krio and English. We used a thematic content analysis approach. Results: We found that physical discipline-"beating"-was widely acceptable and common. A few parents mentioned other means of discipline, such as withholding food. Parents widely agreed that parenting had changed since the war, and reported that child rights movements supported by NGOs had made it more difficult to discipline their children in traditional ways. Conclusions: Discipline was seen a central component of child-rearing and a means of ensuring safe and proper development. This may be a protective mechanism in the precarious, high poverty environment of post-war Sierra Leone. The negative responses of parents to NGO efforts to reduce physical punishment and other forms of child abuse suggest that grassroots approaches are needed to address this pervasive problem.