Spanking, physical punishment may raise risk for mental health woes in adult years

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(CBS News) Disciplining children with physical punishment such as spanking, shoving or slapping may raise their risk for developing mental health problems when they get older, new research suggests.

Sad dads spank more, study says: Who gets hit?

"We should not be using physical punishment on children of any age," Dr. Tracie O. Afifi, PhD, the new study's author and assistant professor of community health sciences at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, told WebMD.

For the study, published in the July 2 issue of Pediatrics, Canadian researchers looked at data from a U.S. survey of nearly 35,000 adults that was collected between 2004 and 2005. They determined about 6 percent of adults experienced harsh physical punishment in the absence of more severe forms of child maltreatment  including physical, sexual or emotional abuse and neglect. Types of harsh physical punishment included spanking, slapping, hitting, shoving, grabbing and pushing.

The researchers found harsh physical punishment increased a person's odds for having a mood or anxiety disorder, engaging in alcohol or drug abuse and risk for several types of personality disorders. They determined that between 2 and 7 percent of mental health disorders among study participants were attributed to physical punishment.

"We're not talking about just a tap on the bum," Afifi told HealthDay. "We were looking at people who used physical punishment as a regular means to discipline their children."

According to the researchers, physical punishment by parents or caregivers has been abolished in 32 countries, not including the U.S. and Canada. A recent survey of the Carolinas found 46 percent of mothers reported slapping or spanking their child in the past year, while national estimates are similar (48 percent). The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly urges against physical punishment to discipline children.

The researchers want parents and pediatricians to know of the link between physical punishment and mental health disorders in the hopes that reducing physical punishment may reduce the prevalence of such disorders in the U.S. population.

Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in Lake Success, N.Y, told WebMD that time-outs, when done properly, can be effective for preschool and school-aged children.

"A good rule of thumb is one minute for every year of age," Adesman said. "Time-outs should occur in a safe, central location where the child can be observed." He added that time-outs should be a time of quiet reflection, and not engaging or negotiating the child.

Not all psychologists, however, were ready to rule out disciplinary spanking.

"Certainly, overly severe physical punishment is going to have adverse effects on children," psychologist Dr. Robert Larzelere, of Oklahoma State University, Stillwater told USA Today. "But for younger kids, if spanking is used in the most appropriate way and the child perceives it as being motivated by concern for their behavior and welfare, then I don't think it has a detrimental effect."

WebMD has more tips for disciplining children.

[18andsafe]

In light of the Judge Adams video,

We often hear from those who fight to uphold this practice for those under the age of 18 (even to the blaming of the social maladies of the day on a supposed "lack" of it), but we rarely, if ever, find advocates for the return of corporal punishment to the general adult community, inmate population, military, or college campuses. Why is that?

Ask ten unyielding proponents of child/adolescent/teenage-only "spanking" about the "right" way to do it, and what would be abusive, indecent, or obscene, and you will get ten different answers.

These proponents should consider making their own video-recording of the "right way" to do it.

[18andsafe]

Children should have a right to their bodies, and the right to say "No!"

Currently in the U.S.:

When an adult does it to another adult, its sexual battery:
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/12/va-beach-restaurateur-pleads-guilty-sexual-battery

When children do it to adults, its a "deviant sexual prank":
http://www.theday.com/article/20101207/NWS04/101209750

When an adult does it to a person under the age of 18, its "good discipline".

Research/recommended reading:

Spanking Can Make Children More Aggressive Later
http://tulane.edu/news/releases/pr_03122010.cfm

Spanking Kids Increases Risk of Sexual Problems
http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2008/feb/lw28spanking.cfm

Use of Spanking for 3-Year-Old Children and Associated Intimate Partner Aggression or Violence
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/126/3/415

Spanking Children Can Lower IQ
http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2009/sept/lw25straus.cfm

Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak
http://www.nospank.net/pt2010.pdf

The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson
http://nospank.net/sdsc2.pdf

"Spanking" can be intentional or unintentional sexual abuse
http://www.nospank.net/101.htm

[18andsafe]

These people were "spanked" as children by adults, and they "turned out just fine":

Man Terrorized After Stopping A Dad From Spanking His Son
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/06/25/man-terrorized-after-stopping-a-dad-from-spanking-his-son/

Woman who prompted SEPTA bus shooting pleads guilty
http://articles.philly.com/2012-06-06/news/32079797_1_bus-passenger-guilty-plea-preliminary-hearing

Terrifying footage shows bus gun attack 'after man dared to complain about mother spanking her child'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2022668/Terrifying-footage-shows-bus-gun-attack-man-dared-complain-mother-spanking-child.html

Parents acting out
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/parents-mom-dad-kids-anger-management-attack-celebrity-losing-2020-16632646

[hharrison22]

This study does not actually provide scientific evidence pro or con about spanking. It looks at "harsh physical discipline" and not spanking specifically. As a child psychologist and a mom, you might be surprised to find out that I spank my child. I talk more about this controversy here:
http://www.themommypsychologist.com/2012/07/04/spanking-does-not-lead-to-mental-illness-later-in-life/

[erasmus111]

by Cru09 July 3, 2012 8:39 AM EDT
Dude, you're kind of a d-bag judging other people's parenting. Shame on me for not noticing your douchery when you said LAZY in caps.. God, you think it's lazy parents, but it is you that is wrong with this world.

by Cru09 July 3, 2012 9:10 AM EDT
And if you are a parent, I feel really bad for your children.


Cru09

Just reading your comments lets people know what a dimwit you are.

And you don't need to feel bad for my kids. They are wonderful kids. They grew up to be polite, respectful, well liked, adults. And that isn't just my opinion. While they were growing up, I would have other parents tell me how good they were.

And I raised them without hitting them. Imagine that!

I said that I wasn't totally against spanking IF it was necessary and done rarely. I did not have to resort to spanking. Hmmmmm, I wonder if it could be because I did something right? I did a good job, so therefore they didn't become BRATS, where I needed to use physical discipline?

[guahanian05]

This article is such a waste of my time to read. Is the study even statistically significant. Reading the number 2-7% seems pretty small to me. There are so many other factors that can contribute to depression: obesity, severe injuries, academics, etc. At least Afifi is from Canada, or else I will be mad that my part of the tax has been contributed to the erroneous and misleading study.

[Beyond-The-Spectrum]

This is nonsense. People spank less frequently today than they did back in my day, and we have more violence in school, on television, and in society in general, so that argument that "spanking teaches kids violence" doesn't hold water!
http://beyond-politics.hubpages.com/hub/To-Spank-Or-To-Spank-Or-Have-Belt-WIll-Travel

[Cru09]

You're in Plato's cave. Violence is at a low.

[formerlyluvnut]

by erasmus111 July 2, 2012 5:48 PM EDT
In America, there is a total LACK of parenting. That's the problem.
------------------------------------------
And THAT I can agree with!

[erasmus111]

Right. And if parents were doing their job, teaching their children right from wrong, they wouldn't need to be hitting them. It's not the kid's fault, it's the parent's fault. Someone should be hitting the parent's.

[Cru09]

Dude, you are on a campaign with this "lazy parents" sh*t.
Issues...

[formerlyluvnut]

by erasmus111 July 2, 2012 5:41 PM EDT
"We all turned out pretty well...and we grew up to be decent adults and good people."

So YOU say. : )
----------------------------

Well, just look around; YOU'RE way ain't working out very well. Simple as that.

[erasmus111]

I'm not an American. I don't see this many out of control children where I live. I guess we don't have as many lousy parents.

And I will say it again, how do you know my way doesn't work if no one is trying it? Or if you don't know anyone that is doing it?

You sound like a dumb ass.

[erasmus111]

Yes, look around you. I doubt that the "spanker" have stopped spanking, so I would say it looks like YOUR way isn't working. It's contributing to the problem.

[lgoldd]

Sorry, I am 53 years old and my parents used spanking when they needed to, hardly ever, because myself and my sibblings knew they would. 99% of my generation would say the same. Maybe this is why we have respect for our elders, what I see in the younger generations who were not spanked horrible. I have one daughter who may have been spanked one time and to be honest "time out" didn't work. Leave it a parents choice!