Spank Children

Spank Children

Therapists
:
Login
|
Sign Up

United States

Austin, TX
Brooklyn, NY
Chicago, IL
Denver, CO
Houston, TX
Los Angeles, CA
New York, NY
Portland, OR
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
Washington, DC

Mental Health

Addiction

Anxiety

ADHD

Asperger's

Autism

Bipolar Disorder

Chronic Pain

Depression

Eating Disorders

Personality

Passive Aggression

Personality

Shyness

Personal Growth

Goal Setting

Happiness

Positive Psychology

Stopping Smoking

Relationships

Low Sexual Desire

Relationships

Sex

Family Life

Child Development

Parenting

Talk to Someone

Find a Therapist

Find a Treatment Center

Find a Psychiatrist

Find a Support Group

Find Teletherapy

Trending Topics

Coronavirus Disease 2019

Narcissism

Dementia

Bias

Affective Forecasting

Neuroscience

Source: Kiefer-Auktionen/Wikimedia Commons

Online: Fearless Psychology , Twitter

Are you a Therapist?
Get Listed Today

Get Help

Find a Therapist

Find a Treatment Center

Find a Psychiatrist

Find a Support Group

Find Teletherapy

Members
Login
Sign Up

United States

Austin, TX
Brooklyn, NY
Chicago, IL
Denver, CO
Houston, TX
Los Angeles, CA
New York, NY
Portland, OR
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
Washington, DC

Mental Health

Addiction

Anxiety

ADHD

Asperger's

Autism

Bipolar Disorder

Chronic Pain

Depression

Eating Disorders

Personality

Passive Aggression

Personality

Shyness

Personal Growth

Goal Setting

Happiness

Positive Psychology

Stopping Smoking

Relationships

Low Sexual Desire

Relationships

Sex

Family Life

Child Development

Parenting

Talk to Someone

Find a Therapist

Find a Treatment Center

Find a Psychiatrist

Find a Support Group

Find Teletherapy

Trending Topics

Coronavirus Disease 2019

Narcissism

Dementia

Bias

Affective Forecasting

Neuroscience

The question is not whether you’ll change; you will. Research clearly shows that everyone’s personality traits shift over the years, often for the better. But who we end up becoming and how much we like that person are more in our control than we tend to think they are.

Posted September 24, 2018

|

Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

For years, people have debated whether punishing children works, whether it corrects their behaviors without having any negative long-term consequences. Spanking is one such form of discipline. Does spanking children work?
A paper published in the July/August issue of the American Psychologist concludes that physical punishment of children (including spanking) is ineffective, and more importantly, it is harmful—it results in behavioral and mental health problems. 1
Let us start by discussing the meaning of punishment, before examining the review’s conclusions about spanking children.
Physical punishment refers to the use of physical force intended to cause discomfort or pain, thus reducing the likelihood of a particular behavior. Punishment includes hitting with the hands or with a tool (like a belt or a stick), but also more general kinds of violent actions like kicking, burning, etc.
A common form of physical punishment for modifying the behaviors of children is spanking , which involves striking the buttocks with an open hand (often repeatedly).
Spanking is a common form of discipline. A 2012 study involving over 11,000 American families and their kindergarteners showed that over 80 percent of mothers spank their children. In fact, when the mothers were asked if they had spanked their children in the week prior to the interview, nearly 30 percent said yes. 2
Why do parents spank their children? Perhaps because they truly believe that spanking is effective, or because as children they were spanked, too.
But spanking has been shown to be correlated with disruptive, delinquent, or aggressive acts in children; these, in turn, often result in more spanking, contributing to a vicious cycle. 2
The belief that spanking is effective is not limited only to people without extensive knowledge of psychology. As the authors of the present paper note, a 2016 survey of over 800 members of the American Psychological Association found that 30 percent did not believe that spanking was harmful to children, and 17 percent did not consider spanking a problematic way to discipline a child. Indeed, 14 percent had advised parents who were their clients to use spanking from time to time. 1
So where is the evidence that spanking is actually harmful? One of the difficulties in proving that spanking is detrimental, is that, as the authors of the present paper note, conducting a true experiment on spanking is unethical.
A true experiment on spanking would require almost the impossible and certainly the unethical: Random selection of pregnant mothers, random assignment of half of them to the condition of spanking their children and the other half to a no-spank condition (to serve as controls), so that we can determine the effects (both short- and long-term) of spanking children.
Why can’t researchers merely compare people who already spank their children with people who do not? Because these groups might differ in many other ways (aside from whether they spank their children). For instance, it may be that parents who spank their children are also more likely to have children who have behavior problems to begin with. So if the child who is frequently spanked becomes a criminal in future, we cannot determine whether the spanking or the behavioral problems were the cause.
But just because we can not conduct true experiments, does that mean that lesser evidence should be ignored? Likely not. After all, no researchers conducted true experiments on cigarette smoking (as far as I know), yet how many respected scientists or health care providers would nowadays claim that smoking is harmless?
In cases when true experiments are not possible or ethical, researchers often refer to standards now known as Hill’s criteria . The English epidemiologist Austin Bradford Hill suggested a number of principles required for establishing causality, seven of which were used in this study:
Plausibility of the causal connection, consistency and strength of the proposed connection, temporal precedence (i.e., spanking must precede the negative outcomes), other experiments ruling out alternative factors, and a dose-response relationship.
Using these criteria, Gershoff and colleagues reviewed the available evidence, eventually concluding that the findings point to a causal connection between spanking and negative outcomes. Furthermore, they found no evidence showing that physical punishment is useful in improving behavior.
The authors then addressed a common assumption, which is that punishment might be effective and harmless up to some threshold . The assumption that unlike more regular spanking or the use of severe forms of punishment (e.g., kicking and burning), occasional spanking might be effective. But again, the available data fail to support this view; instead, it appears that physical punishment and physical abuse are both linked with the same negative outcomes, “just to varying degrees.” 1
“The message to parents, psychologists, and policy-makers is clear,” the authors state, adding that “it is time to end the debate about physical punishment and to end this outdated parenting practice.”
Many parents who punish their children mean well, but are not aware of the true nature of the harm that they are causing, and furthermore, are not aware of more effective alternatives to shaping the behavior of their children.
So what are some of these effective alternatives? Depending on the child’s age and the behavior the parent would like to target, the parent can:
It is important to remain consistent. With consistency, the child comes to expect the same negative consequences, and as a result learns to modify the particular behavior.
It is also essential to attend to your child’s basic needs (e.g., nutritious food, safety, social needs, medical care, etc), while at the same time be firm and clear about the rules that you set. And remember to reward positive behavior too.
See this and this link, for further information about disciplining children and parenting programs (thanks to Dr. Gershoff for the links).
Just remember that spanking children is harmful and ineffective. There are more effective and humane ways to modify unwanted behavior than by physical punishment and spanking. If you feel that your methods are not working, consulting a health care professional might help determine what lies at the root of the problem.
1. Gershoff, E. T.,Goodman, G. S.,Miller-Perrin, C. L.,Holden, G. W.,Jackson, Yo, & Kazdin, A. E. (2018). The strength of the causal evidence against physical punishment of children and its implications for parents, psychologists, and policymakers. American Psychologist, 73 (5), 626-638.
2. Gershoff, E. T., Lansford, J. E., Sexton, H. R., Davis-Kean, P., & Sameroff, A. J. (2012). Longitudinal links between spanking and children’s externalizing behaviors in a national sample of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American families. Child Development, 83, 838-843.
Arash Emamzadeh attended the University of British Columbia in Canada, where he studied genetics and psychology. He has also done graduate work in clinical psychology and neuropsychology in U.S.

Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today.

Psychology Today © 2022 Sussex Publishers, LLC

The question is not whether you’ll change; you will. Research clearly shows that everyone’s personality traits shift over the years, often for the better. But who we end up becoming and how much we like that person are more in our control than we tend to think they are.

Dow Jones, a News Corp company About WSJ
Edition English 中文 (Chinese) 日本語 (Japanese)
Edition English 中文 (Chinese) 日本語 (Japanese)
Edition English 中文 (Chinese) 日本語 (Japanese)
Copyright © 2022 Dow Jones & Company , Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Edition English 中文 (Chinese) 日本語 (Japanese)
Copyright © 2022 Dow Jones & Company , Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by
our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact
Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-right-way-to-spank-a-child-11549410421
The American Academy of Pediatrics has expressed opposition to “all forms of corporal punishment,” defined to include spanking and also “kicking, shaking, or throwing children; scratching, pinching, biting, pulling hair, or boxing ears; forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions; burning, scalding, or forced ingestion (for example, washing a child’s mouth out with soap or forcing [him] to swallow hot spices).”
Child abuse is a serious crime and should be punished as such. The academy is also right to oppose verbal punishment that “belittles, humiliates, denigrates, scapegoats, threatens, scares, or ridicules the child.” But it oversteps when it lumps spanking in with these harsh, heinous acts.
Continue reading your article with a WSJ membership
Copyright © 2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by
our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact
Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.

Is Spanking an Appropriate Form of Child Discipline?

Verywell Family's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Ⓒ 2022 Dotdash Media, Inc. — All rights reserved

Verywell Family content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more .

Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Amanda Rock, mom of three, has spent more than a decade of her professional career writing and editing for parents and children.

Will Spanking Kids Really Scar Them for Life?

5 Discipline Strategies That Actually Work

What Are Natural Consequences? When and How to Use Them

Discipline Strategies for Children Who Hit Their Parents

How to Discipline Your Child in Public

Is Spanking Still a Good Form of Punishment for Children?

What Is the Difference Between Discipline and Child Abuse?

How to Help Your "Overprogrammed" Kids Deal With the Stress & Pressure

Preschooler Discipline: Strategies and Challenges

Surprising Facts About Spanking and Corporal Punishment

Tween Parenting Tips (10-, 11-, and 12-Year-Olds)

Physical Punishment Does Not Improve Behavior, Study Finds

Tween Discipline: Strategies and Challenges

Avoiding Common Parenting Mistakes With Your Children

8 Discipline Strategies That Are More Effective Than Spanking

How to Address Kids' Behavior Problems Effectively With Consequences

Verywell Family's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Ⓒ 2022 Dotdash Media, Inc. — All rights reserved

Verywell Family is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

We've updated our Privacy Policy, which will go in to effect on September 1, 2022. Review our Privacy Policy

Sarah Vanbuskirk is a writer and editor with 20 years of experience covering parenting, health, wellness, lifestyle, and family-related topics. Her work has been published in numerous magazines, newspapers, and websites, including Activity Connection, Glamour, PDX Parent, Self, TripSavvy, Marie Claire, and TimeOut NY.
Marley Hall is a writer and fact-checker who is certified in clinical and translational research. Her work has been published in medical journals in the field of surgery, and she has received numerous awards for publication in education.
Verywell / Photo Illustration by Amelia Manley / Getty Images

Parents of past generations commonly spanked their kids—and some tout the practice as a cure-all discipline technique . Moreover, plenty of today's parents of young kids were spanked when they were children. So, many wonder whether spanking is an effective, appropriate option for managing children's behavior .

The answer from experts is a resounding no. "Spanking is not a recommended form of discipline," says Aliza Pressman , PhD, an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a psychologist at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital in New York City.

In the past, spanking was a common discipline practice. Today, in many circles, it is less acceptable. In fact, many experts consider it to be harmful to children—not to mention ineffective. 1

If you are a parent, you know that just about every decision you make is up for debate. But no parenting method seems to come under fire more than spanking children as a form of discipline . Ultimately, every parent needs to decide what's right for their family. But whatever you think of spanking, it's important to know what the research says in terms of its effects on kids.

Research is clear about the potential harm that spanking can cause. However, in some families and cultures, it is an ingrained, accepted practice. That said, while spanking has decreased over the past few decades, it continues to be quite prevalent. In fact, a 2021 study found that in 1993, 50% of parents acknowledged spanking their children. By 2017, that rate had dropped significantly but was still at 35%. 2

Advocates say that giving a child a smack on the bottom sends a strong message and will curtail any future infractions on the part of the child. Opponents say that it borders on child abuse and that it really doesn't work. Research lands squarely on t
Laura Mercier Lip Plumper
Free Porn Video Mobile Tube
Pawg Vk Video

Spank Children

Report Page