Given the recent increase in allegations of child abuse in the Caribbean community, the influence of sociocultural factors on various aspects of behavior including childrearing practices needs to be examined. Evidently, cultural differences substantially add to the existing complexity of defining maltreatment, neglect or abuse. Recommendations for researchers and clinicians who work with Caribbean families are elucidated with respect to disciplinary practices. The focus of this article is to help clinicians not to erroneously diagnose a parent as abusive when he or she is, in the eyes of that culture, merely disciplining the child.
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