Saudi Arabia Overview

314 Pages·2014·10.31 MB·English

Durham E-Theses
The use of physical punishment on children in Saudi
Arabia. Perceptions and experiences of parents and
young people
Alanazi, Nashmi
How to cite:
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experiences of parents and young people, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham
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2
THE USE OF PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT ON CHILDREN IN
SAUDI ARABIA. PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF
PARENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE
The copyright of this thesis rests with the
author or the university to which it was
submitted. No quotation from it, or
information derived from it may be
published without the prior written
consent of the author or university, and
any information derived from it should be
acknowledged.
NASHMI ALANAZI
PhD. THESIS 2008
1 7 DEC 2008
. ~ .. ,_
Abstract
Violence against children is a worldwide phenomenon. The use of physical
punishment on children is a type of this violence. However, there is a significant
lack of research on this social problem in Saudi Arabia. This study attempted to
investigate parental physical punishment in Saudi Arabia.
The study sample consisted of two groups of people, parents and young people.
530 persons who live in Riyadh city (285 parents and 245 young people) took
part. Two questionnaires (one for each group of participants) were developed for
this study purposes and SPSS was used to analysis the data.
Parental use of physical punishment was common among the study sample
members. Boys were more likely than girls, to have been physically punished.
Similarly, young children were exposed to physical punishment more than older
children. Frequency of use of physical punishment also varied according to
parental age. No difference was found between fathers and mothers in regards to
gender, education, and employment status but parents with childhood experience
of physical punishment used physical punishment more than parents without
such childhood experiences. The majority of participants supported parental use
of physical punishment on children. Moreover, the majority of parents disagreed
with preventing parents from using physical punishment by law. In contrast, the
majority of the young people agreed with the prevention of parental use of
physical punishment by law. Findings are discussed in light of the ecological
model and an analysis is offered of the utility of this model in explaining the
trends outlined.
Acknowledgments
In the name of Allah the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful, Praise be to
Allah, Lord of the Universe. First of all, 1 am most grateful to God Almighty
who has provided me with health, patience and guidance through my study
period.
No PhD thesis could be completed without personal effort and the support and
help of other people. Therefore, I would like to acknowledge those people who
have contributed and helped me in this work. First, I would like to thank my
supervisor Prof. Simon Hackett, Head of the School of Applied Social Sciences,
who gave me much of his valuable time and knowledge; he provided me with
wise guidance when I needed it. His friendly and relaxed personality made him
exceptionally pleasant to work with. I learned a lot from Simon and he was
always encouraging me to preserved and overcome any obstacle which faced me
either in my research or my personal life. I believe that Simon fully deserves
recognition for his support and commitment to me and my study. I would also
like to thank my second supervisor, Prof. Helen Chamley, who has been very
helpful. Helen provided me with invaluable suggestions and comments which
enriched the study. I would like to extend my appreciation to the staff members
of the School of Applied Social Sciences and to my follow colleagues for their
help, friendliness and kindness.
I would like to take this opportunity to express gratitude to the government of
Saudi Arabia, the Imam Mohammed Bin Saud University, for authorising and
financing my postgraduate studies. Also, I extend my thanks to the officials at
the Saudi Arabia Embassy in London, especially the Saudi Arabia Cultural
Bureau, for their assistance and help during my study. More acknowledgments
go to those people who helped me in the field-work trip and the data collection
process as well as to all those other people who by their participation enabled my
study to be completed. I also thank David Middleton and Hilary Faulkner for
their expertise in proof-reading this thesis. Last but not least, I would like to take
this opportunity to extend my most sincere gratitude to my wife and children
who have stood behind me during my study.
11
Dedications
First of all I dedicate this work to those people who supported me and were so
patient with me throughout my study.
I dedicate this work to my lovely parents. Father and mother many thanks to you
for all your encouragement since I was a child and for your prayers for me to
finish this work. I thank you, too, for your great patience while I have been away
from you during my studies. Yet, I hope you are now proud of your son and his
achievement.
I dedicate this work to my wife. All the words and expressions of appreciation in
this world will not be enough to express my gratitude to her. You have always
encouraged me to fulfi I this work and created a proper environment for me. You
gave of your time and sacrificed your own pleasure time in order to save my time.
Your patience, encouragement, and love have been my guidance throughout my
study journey.
I dedicate this work to my children. I have been so busy with my work and have
taken so much of your time when I should have been with you, yet you always
seemed to understand my study obligations. How much, I hope you are now
proud of your father and think of him as a good example to you.
Finally, I dedicate this work to al1 children, researchers, professionals, and
people who devote themselves to working for a safe environment for the children
of Saudi Arabia.
Ill
Declaration
1 hereby declare that no portion of the work that appears in this study has
been used in support of an application of another degree in qualification to
this or any other university or institution learning.
IV
Statement of Copyright
The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it
should be published without his prior written consent and information
derived from it should be acknowledged.
V
Table of Contents
Abstract
Acknowledgment 11
Dedications Ill
Declaration IV
Statement of Copyright V
Table of contents VI
List ofTables X
List of Figures Xll
Chapter One: Introduction
1.1 Preamble I
1.2 Researcher's position 2
1.3 Contextual background 4
1. 4 Definition of terms 8
1.5 Statement of the problem 10
1.6 Study objectives 12
1. 7 Significance of the study 13
1.8 Organisation of the study 14
1.9 Chapter summary 15
Chapter Two: Saudi Arabia Overview
2.1 Preamble 16
2.2 General overview of Saudi Arabia 16
2.3 Overview ofRiyadh 20
2.3.1 Location 20
2.3.2 Population 20
2.3.3 Education status 21
2.3.4 Marital status and family size 21
2.3.5 Socioeconomic status 21
2.4 Family structure in Saudi Arabia 22
2.5 Child welfare in Saudi Arabia 26
2.6 Children in Islam 31
2.7 Parental use of physical punishment in Islam 36
2.8 Parental use of physical punishment in Saudi Arabia 40
Chapter Three: Theoretical Framework
3.1 Preamble 45
3.2 The link between physical punishment and physical abuse 46
3.3 Theoretical explanations for the use of physical punishment 52
VI
3.3.1 Psychological perspective 52
3.3.2 Sociological perspective 54
3.3.3 Social learning theory 55
3.3.4 Frustration and aggression theory 57
3.3.5 Ecological perspective 58
3.3.6 Belsky's model 63
3.4 Application of the ecological model to parental use ofphysical
punishment 66
Chapter Four: Literature Review
4.1 Preamble 72
4.2 Physical punishment across the world 73
4.3 International studies 75
4.3.1 Physical punishment of children as a controversial issue 75
4.3.2 Types ofphysical punishment 81
4.3.3 Physical punishment in school settings 86
4.3.4 Risk factors for parental use of physical punishment 87
4.3.4.1 Child characteristics 87
4.3.4.2 Parent characteristics 94
4.3.4.3 Family characteristics I 01
4.3.4.4 Culture and parental attitudes to physical
punishment I 04
4.3 .5 The consequences of physical punishment I 06
4.3 .6 Physical punishment across cultures 110
4.4 Saudi Arabian studies Ill
4.5 Observations from the literature review 122
4.6 The study hypotheses 125
Chapter Five: Research Methodology
5.1 Preamble 128
5.2 Descriptive research 128
5.3 The preliminary visit to Saudi Arabia 129
5.4 Research design and method 130
5.4.1 Study design 130
5.4.2 Data collection method 132
5.5 The study population and sample 138
5.5.1 Target population 138
5.5.2 The study sample 139
5.5.3 The sampling process 140
5.5.4 Sample characteristics 142
5.5.5 Sample size 144
5.6 Questionnaire construction 145
5.6.1 Developing the Questionnaire 147
5.6.2 Questionnaires review 149
5.7 Data collection process 151
5.8 Ethical considerations 153
VII