Southern Luzon State University

College of Allied Medicine

NCM17 – Psychiatric Nursing

ACTIVITY: ABUSE AND VIOLENCE. In your own words, answer the following questions.
1. Is spanking a child an acceptable form of discipline or is it abusive? What determines the
appropriateness of discipline? Who should make these decisions and why?
As a child who grew up being beaten with a belt or hit with a slipper after every mistake I
unintentionally committed, I have learned, grown and came to the realization that spanking will not
and never be an acceptable form of discipline. It is abusive and downright traumatic to a child. I had
never been an advocate to this as it could escalate to various forms of physical abuse that could scar
a person for life. Also, extensive researches have already shown that there are negative effects related
to the experience of spanking or violence during their childhood such as: aggression, brain changes,
substance abuse and suicidal behavior in adulthood. As a kid, it can also lead to increased aggression,
antisocial behavior, physical injury and mental health problems.

For me, there are better ways to discipline a child and hitting them is not one of them,
especially as they are still in the stage of development where they are still in the process of developing
their personality and behavior. Factors that may determine appropriateness of behavior include
consistency with behavior change, fairness in accordance to behavior exhibited, and self-enhancing
quality of approach to child’s behavior. For me, these can all be observed through what is known as
gentle parenting or discipline, wherein the caregiver is able to emphasize physical and emotional
safety by not shaming or hitting the child as punishment.

For instance, a child drew on the wall using crayons. With gentle discipline, the initial action
should be to not shame the child or hit them as punishment for their actions; instead, the parent must
calm themselves down first to avoid expressing anger and acting harshly towards the child. Once they
have done this, the next action should be to talk gently to their kid by explaining that such action is
unacceptable and make them realize that it is not correct behavior. As a consequence for their action,
they may be asked to help clean the mess they had made on the walls so that they realize that this
mistake is corrected and dealt with by cleaning the surface—not by hurting others.

Furthermore, decisions concerning discipline should be implemented by an adult who has an

emotional bond with the child. With this, we can say that the ones who make these decisions are the
caregivers or usually, the parents themselves, as they are the adults who are usually around them
and can help guide and influence their children positively.

2. A client has just told the nurse that in the past he has lost his temper and has beaten his
child. How should the nurse respond? What factors would affects the nurse’s response?

In response to this confession, the nurse must speak to the individual in a nonjudgmental
and gentle manner. To assess the influence on the child, the nurse may evaluate or ask about the
type of beating executed to the child. This way, the nurse would be able to gauge the extent of the
negative behavior and find out if the child acquired any bruises, scars or wounds as a result of the
beating. With this information, the nurse may implement appropriate interventions based on the
history and assessment made. Additionally, the nurse may also discuss the value and meaning of
discipline to the client. This action is an appropriate response because it may be able to determine
where the client is coming from, what triggered them to lose their temper and project it on the

LICOTO, GIANA MAE C.

BSN3B
 Southern Luzon State University
College of Allied Medicine
NCM17 – Psychiatric Nursing

child. It could also identify how the disciplining behavior or action is relevant to the client and what
it means for them.
Factors that may affect the response of the nurse include their own experiences of beating
or disciplining as a child. The reason for this is because it could reveal how the nurse would
empathize with the client or the child. Another factor that could impact the nurse’s response is if
they are a parent or a guardian as having this position may influence or direct their own views on
the matter at hand and be incorporated in the teachings for the client.

3. What is the nurse’s role in the arena of bullying? What can or should be done to combat
these growing problems?

As we know, bullying is often experienced in school settings where the children are both the
perpetrators and victims. As a nurse, the role of the nurse is to advocate for the prevention of bullying
by emphasizing the significance of communication between parents or guardians and children. If
bullying is already present in a social setting, the nurse’s role is to intervene immediately and it may
be accomplished by recognizing bullying conduct early on, reporting it or referring consultations for
both the victim and the bully. This way, early identification of the bullying incident is interceded and
halted before it escalates to harmful behaviors and a traumatic experience and memory to victims.

In order to combat these growing problem regarding bullying, the nurse must be present in
constructing and employing interventions for individual and groups. This can be observed through
applying therapeutic communication during play therapy among groups of children and allowing the
expression of feelings of both parties involved. Similarly, the nurse must advocate for policy
formulation and implementation as part of the eradication of bullying in diverse social situations.
The nurse may move to uphold key goals of a bullying prevention program such as help children
enhance their self-esteem, improve atmosphere in social settings like schools and campuses, and
promote healthy interpersonal connections.

LICOTO, GIANA MAE C.

BSN3B