Table 2.
Demographic Characteristics of the Not-Spanked-in-Past-Week Group and the Spanked-in-Past-Week Group Before and After Propensity Score Matching (PSM)
| Variable | Before PSM |
After PSM |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not spanked in past week |
Spanked in past week |
p | Not spanked in past week |
Spanked in past week |
p | |
| ns = 6,445–6,464 | ns = 3,167–3,181 | ns = 4,778–4,953 | ns = 3,159–3,177 | |||
| Child characteristics | ||||||
| Age at spring of kindergarten (in months) | 74.85 (4.45) | 74.28 (4.40) | < .001 | 74.38 (4.39) | 74.35 (4.49) | > .250 |
| Proportion male | .51 | .55 | < .001 | .54 | .54 | > .250 |
| Overall health | 1.68 (0.83) | 1.77 (0.85) | < .001 | 1.74 (0.85) | 1.74 (0.84) | > .250 |
| Proportion diagnosed with a disability | .15 | .17 | .015 | .15 | .15 | > .250 |
| Externalizing behavior at age 5 years | 1.64 (0.62) | 1.81 (0.71) | < .001 | 1.76 (0.68) | 1.76 (0.67) | > .250 |
| Parent characteristics | ||||||
| Mother’s education (in years) | 14.64 (3.42) | 14.05 (3.40) | < .001 | 14.47 (3.47) | 14.48 (3.37) | > .250 |
| Mother’s age (in years) | 33.39 (6.63) | 32.04 (6.64) | < .001 | 32.76 (6.39) | 32.74 (6.50) | > .250 |
| Proportion of mothers born in U.S. | .84 | .83 | > .250 | .81 | .81 | > .250 |
| Proportion of parents married | .70 | .62 | < .001 | .71 | .71 | > .250 |
| Proportion of parents separated | .05 | .05 | > .250 | .04 | .04 | > .250 |
| Proportion of parents divorced | .09 | .10 | .107 | .08 | .08 | > .250 |
| Proportion of parents widowed | .01 | .01 | > .250 | .01 | .01 | > .250 |
| Proportion of parents never married | .12 | .19 | < .001 | .14 | .14 | > .250 |
| Proportion of parents who were nonbiological/adoptive | .03 | .03 | > .250 | .02 | .02 | > .250 |
| Family economic status | ||||||
| Household size | 4.51 (1.36) | 4.51 (1.44) | > .250 | 4.53 (1.40) | 4.52 (1.38) | > .250 |
| Proportion of mothers employed full time | .46 | .47 | > .250 | .46 | .46 | > .250 |
| Proportion of mothers employed part time | .22 | .19 | .018 | .20 | .20 | > .250 |
| Proportion of mothers unemployed | .32 | .34 | .128 | .34 | .33 | > .250 |
| Income (in thousands of dollars) | 50.01 (36.09) | 39.36 (33.51) | < .001 | 45.03 (34.34) | 44.84 (34.73) | > .250 |
| Family food insecurity | 0.59 (1.76) | 0.98 (2.24) | < .001 | 0.77 (2.04) | 0.76 (1.95) | > .250 |
| Harshness of home environment | ||||||
| Parenting harshness | 0.19 (0.14) | 0.18 (0.15) | < .001 | 0.18 (0.15) | 0.18 (0.15) | > .250 |
| Low parenting warmth | 1.29 (0.36) | 1.35 (0.40) | < .001 | 1.36 (0.41) | 1.35 (0.40) | > .250 |
| Parenting stress | 1.59 (0.45) | 1.73 (0.53) | < .001 | 1.70 (0.50) | 1.70 (0.50) | > .250 |
| Intimate partner conflict | 0.53 (0.48) | 0.62 (0.50) | < .001 | 0.61 (0.51) | 0.61 (0.50) | > .250 |
| Mother’s depressive symptoms | 1.45 (0.46) | 1.56 (0.50) | < .001 | 1.52 (0.50) | 1.51 (0.47) | > .250 |
| Cultural background | ||||||
| Proportion White | .59 | .50 | < .001 | .55 | .55 | > .250 |
| Proportion Black | .15 | .22 | < .001 | .16 | .16 | > .250 |
| Proportion Asian/other | .07 | .07 | > .250 | .11 | .10 | > .250 |
| Proportion Latino ethnicity | .18 | .20 | .047 | .18 | .18 | > .250 |
| Proportion who spoke English at home | .88 | .87 | .120 | .86 | .87 | > .250 |
| Mother’s religiosity | 2.86 (1.32) | 2.96 (1.36) | < .001 | 3.01 (1.32) | 3.02 (1.33) | > .250 |
| Geographic characteristics | ||||||
| Proportion Northeast | .16 | .14 | .007 | .15 | .15 | > .250 |
| Proportion Midwest | .25 | .18 | < .001 | .20 | .21 | > .250 |
| Proportion South | .36 | .48 | < .001 | .42 | .43 | > .250 |
| Proportion West | .23 | .20 | .001 | .22 | .22 | > .250 |
| Proportion city | .37 | .38 | > .250 | .38 | .38 | > .250 |
| Proportion suburb | .42 | .39 | .006 | .36 | .36 | > .250 |
| Proportion town/rural | .21 | .24 | .037 | .26 | .26 | > .250 |
Note: Sample sizes varied across the 50 imputed data sets. The table presents means, unless otherwise indicated (standard deviations are given in parentheses); values were averaged across imputations.