ORIGINAL ARTICLE Child discipline practices in Ghanaian homes Stephen Kwaku Amoah 1 & Ezekiel Nortey 2 & Abukari Alhassan 1 Received: 8 September 2018 /Accepted: 18 April 2019 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract Aim This study sought to identify and discuss the major issues and emerging practices in child discipline in Ghanaian homes. Subject and methods Using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Round 4 dataset drawn from a nationwide sample of 8156 households, the analysis took into consideration the hierarchical structure of the data to provide in-depth analysis of the drivers and risk factors of child discipline in Ghana. Specifically, the study looked at the relationship between the key response variable and covariates investigated, along with the responses and context in which the measurements were done. Results Contextual effects on the variations in household responses across the different levels of the data structure were signif- icant at the regional level, but not at the residence level (urban/rural settings). Conclusion There was strong evidence that household wealth index and number of children aged 2–14 in a household have a significant influence on household approval for the use of physical discipline in child upbringing. Keywords Child discipline . Physical discipline . Non-physical discipline . Psychological aggression discipline . Multilevel analysis . Logistic regression model Introduction Parents use disciplinary methods primarily to reduce undesir- able child behaviour in the present and to increase desirable child behaviour in the future. The various types used reflect a core ingredient of those parents’ approach to child upbringing. It is therefore a demanding and challenging task to identify the precise nature of such influences. Historical research on child discipline suggests that there has always been a great deal of individual variation in methods of discipline (Pollock 1983). The use of physical force, deprivation of privileges or posses- sions, and direct commands or threats are opposed to sociali- zation. This happens because these actions not only produce fear and anxiety in the child, but also provide them with a model of aggression. Research to date indicates a combination of ineffective parental discipline and hostile parental attribu- tions contribute to the development of conduct problems for the child in the long term. Furthermore, the particular types of disciplinary techniques used have long been related to chil- dren’ s future outcomes (Holden 2015). Studies on child discipline practices fall into the category of behavioural and social research where the general concept is that there is interaction between individuals and the social context or group to which they belong. The individuals and the social group are conceptualized as a hierarchical system of individuals nested within groups, with individuals and groups defined at separate levels. However, despite the prevalence of such groupings, past studies have often failed to address them adequately in the analysis of a complex data structure (Raudenbush and Bryk 2002). The study of child discipline issues has long occupied a central role in studies about social- ization, specifically the processes by which children are taught the skills, values, and motivations to become competent adults and what drives the use of these processes. Parental discipline response often occurs as a result of a complex interplay of factors such as child characteristics, pa- rental characteristics, and contextual factors. Even though pa- rental discipline is embedded within a wider system of rela- tionships within the family, as well as overarching systems of * Stephen Kwaku Amoah Stephen.amoah@statsghana.gov.gh Ezekiel Nortey ennortey@ug.edu.gh Abukari Alhassan hassi1972@yahoo.com 1 Department of Statistics, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box 24, UE, Navrongo Campus, Tamale, Ghana 2 Department of Statistics, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG115, Legon, Accra, Ghana Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-019-01079-z