The Changing Landscape of Discipline in Egypt: A Descriptive and Predictive Study Across Two Generations

Parent-child discipline is often embedded within cultural and social narratives that shape how it is perceived and practiced in different cultures. This study therefore takes an emic approach to understanding discipline trends within Egyptian culture. Specifically, the study (1) examines intergenerational continuity and changes in discipline trends in Egypt, (2) explores child, family, and cultural factors that may impact child discipline trends, and (3) identifies predictors of harsh discipline practices. The sample consisted of 490 Egyptian parents, each of whom had a child between the ages of 2 and 12.5 years. Scales enquiring about culturally prevalent methods of discipline were specifically developed for this study and administered to participants via an online questionnaire. Findings supported the intergenerational transmission of discipline practices, and also identified generational shifts in discipline patterns, including a reduced use of harsh disciplinary strategies across the two generations. Findings also suggested that parents’ perceived cultural norms of discipline, recollection of harsh discipline from their own parents, number of children in a household, and family income were all significant predictors of harsh discipline within this sample. Demographic differences in the prevalence of discipline practices were also identified. The findings of this study therefore highlight culturally embedded risk factors for harsh discipline in Egypt.