The opinion of Quebec medical students on corporal punishment

The opinion of Quebec medical students on corporal punishment OBJECTIVE: To determine the opinion of medical students attending Laval University (Quebec, Quebec) regarding the controversial subject of corporal punishment in children. METHOD: For five consecutive years, from the 2006/2007 through to the 2010/2011 school year, an opinion poll was completed by the fourth year medical students at Laval University during a seminar concerning the maltreatment of children. RESULTS: Of the 712 students questioned, 91% were younger than 30 years of age and 74% were female. With respect to the use of corporal punishment on children, 22% of the respondents declared they were in favour of it. More men than women were in favour of this disciplinary practice, with 31% of the men in favour compared with 18% of the woman (adjusted RC 2.2 [95% CI 1.4 to 3.4]; P=0.0003). Approximately 36% of the students who had experienced corporal punishment were in favour of it, compared with only 4% of those who had not experienced this form of discipline (adjusted RC 16.5 [95% CI 8.6 to 31.4]; P<0.0001). Among those who stated that they had been victims of physical abuse, 25% declared themselves in favour of this practice, which was a similar proportion to those who had not been victims of physical abuse (21%) (P=0.52). CONCLUSION: While several medical organizations have declared opposition to the use of corporal punishment, greater than one in five future Quebec doctors are in favour of this disciplinary method and could influence the behaviour of parents in this regard.