from Journal of Family Psychology
Spanking a child, defined as an openhanded
hit on the behind, has been
reviewed by researchers at the University
of Texas Austin and University of
Michigan. That definition draws a clear
distinction between spanking and
potentially abusive behavior. Nonetheless,
fifty years of research involving more than
one hundred sixty thousand children
brings the authors to conclude the more
children are spanked, the more likely they
are to defy their parents and to
consistently show increased anti-social
behavior, aggression, mental health
problems and cognitive difficulties. In
other words, just opposite what the
spanking was intended to remedy.
Further, the negative behaviors sometimes
lasted into adulthood. The review is in the
Journal of Family Psychology.