Changing attitudes about spanking among conservative Christians using interventions that focus on empirical research evidence and progressive biblical interpretations

This study examined how interventions that include either empirical research evidence about spanking, progressive biblical interpretations, or both, affect attitudes and intentions about spanking. A sample of 129 college students (70% female; 30% male; Mage = 19) attending a private, Christian university was randomly assigned to one of three intervention conditions: (1) Research Only, (2) Religion Only, or (3) Research and Religion. Four weeks prior to the intervention sessions, students completed a Demographic Form, the Religious Fundamentalism Scale, and the Attitudes Toward Spanking (ATS) scale. Following the intervention, students completed the ATS scale a second time. A two-way ANOVA indicated a significant main effect for the intervention condition and an interaction effect between intervention condition and religious fundamentalism, indicating that positive spanking attitudes declined most significantly in the Research and Religion intervention condition (F(2, 123) = 4.05, p = .02, hp2 = .06) with the greatest change in attitudes among the Religious Fundamentalism Group in that condition (F(2, 123) = 4.50, p = .01, hp2 = .07). A second two-way ANOVA indicated a significant main effect for Conservative Protestant Affiliation (F(2, 123) = 4.39, p = .04, hp2 = .03) indicating that positive spanking attitudes declined most significantly for participants identifying with a conservative religious affiliation. Overall, the findings suggest that, especially among Conservative Protestants, interventions that focus on both empirical research and progressive biblical interpretations of scripture can reduce positive attitudes toward, and intentions to use, spanking. This study has implications for decreasing spanking use among Conservative Christians and for the development of training programs to reduce parents' use of spanking.