Child Maltreatment in Post-Soviet Countries: Discipline Practices in Families in Azerbaijan

Little research has examined the factors that contribute to family disciplinary attitudes and practices in post-Soviet nations. In its absence, helping professionals lack the locally contextualized evidence needed to inform policy and interventions to address child maltreatment. Analyzing data from Azerbaijan’s Domestic Health Survey, this study examines the respective relationships of income, caregiver education, child age, household size, and other variables with positive parenting, physical aggression, psychological aggression, and beliefs concerning the use of physical punishment in child-rearing. Identifying similarities with—and one notable exception to—research findings on discipline in other countries, the authors recommend selective strategies from the global document INSPIRE to reduce violent disciplinary practices in Azerbaijan. Implications of the paper’s findings can also be beneficial for global child-rights organizations, academicians, and families that adopt children from post-Soviet nations.

Published online December 7, 2022.