The more children are physically punished, the more likely they are to end up defying their parents and experiencing antisocial behavior , developing aggression, mental health problems, and even cognitive difficulties. Thus, any spanking given to a child would be untimely.
That is the conclusion reached by a meta-analysis carried out by experts from the universities of Texas in Austin and Michigan (United States), after analyzing data corresponding to five decades of research in which more than 160,000 children participated .
This study, published recently in the Journal of Family Psychology , is, according to its authors, the most complete analysis to date that has been carried out on the spanking of minors (which the researchers define as a hit with the hand open in the butt, arms or legs ). The experts specify that the study did not take into account other types of more serious physical punishment.
“Our analysis focuses on what most Americans would recognize as spanking, and not potentially abusive behavior,” explains Elizabeth Gershoff, associate professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University, on her university website. from Texas to Austin. “We have found that spanking was associated with damaging and unexpected outcomes, yet it was not associated with greater immediate or long-term compliance (of parental rules) , which is what parents expect when deciding to discipline to his children”.
On the contrary, Elizabeth Gershoff and Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, study co-author and associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, came up with the thesis that spanking increases the likelihood of a wide variety of unwanted outcomes. for children and also for parents.
From generation to generation
Both experts looked at some of the long-term effects that childhood spanking had on older people. The more they had been beaten, the more likely they were to exhibit antisocial behavior and suffer from mental health problems. Likewise, they were more in favor of using corporal punishment with their own children , highlighting that the attitude towards corporal punishment is something that usually passes from one generation to the next.
American researchers go even further in their conclusions: they consider that both slapping and physical abuse are associated with the same harmful outcomes in children. “As a society we think that spanking and physical abuse are different behaviors. However, our research shows that spanking is linked to the same negative outcomes in children as abuse , just to a slightly lower degree, ”explains Professor Gershoff.
It seems that science has been conspired against the so-called ‘stick syrup’, as Gershoff also notes that the study results are in line with a recently released report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which they called for educational and social engagement campaigns, as well as legislative measures to reduce corporal punishment of children, including spanking.
They also recall that according to the report The State of the World’s Children 2014 in Figures , prepared by UNICEF, “in half of the countries with available data, more than 80% of children between the ages of 2 and 14 had been subjected to the violent discipline “ , despite the fact that, according to Gershoff, there is no clear evidence that spanking has any positive effect and there is instead that it poses a risk of damaging the behavior and development of children.
“We hope that our study can help educate parents about the potential harms of spanking and invite them to try positive and non-punitive forms of discipline ,” concludes the teacher.
