Spanking Causes Mental Health Problems and Defiance Among Children, Study Suggests

Spanking has been perceived as a good response to the unruly child. But according to researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Texas, this type of punishment can only make the children become more aggressive and defiant.  

The study about spanking was published in the Journal of Family Psychology April edition, which was based on the five decade's worth of extensive research using over 160,000 children, says Science Daily. Regarded as the most comprehensive scientific investigation into the issue of spanking, the study is also among the few to address the topic instead of classifying it with other types of physical discipline.

Spanking was found to be related to unintentional detrimental results and was not connected to long-term or more immediate compliance, which are the parents' intentional results when disciplining their children. The analysis was stated by Elizabeth Gershoff, a Human Development and Family Sciences associate professor at the University of Texas.  

In addition, the study also showed that the more frequent the children get some spanking, the higher the potential that the children will begin to defy their parents, have issues in mental health, become aggressive, develop difficulties in cognition and exhibit some anti-social behavior.

Furthermore, it was also found that those who were spanked were most likely to employ physical punishment of their own children, as stated in a feature by The Telegraph. This shows how the attitude about disciplinary methods have the tendency to be passed from generation to generation. The researchers also discovered that spanking was related to the similar adverse results in children as physical abuse, and were almost the same in the aspect of outcome strength.  

Spanking, as further explained by Gershoff, is related to the similar negative child outcomes like the physical abuse, with a mildly lesser degree, despite how the society view it and the abuse as separate behaviors.  With the analysis provided by the study, the researchers are hoping that this further educate the parents regarding the possible dangers of spanking, and that it may bring about non-punitive and positive types of discipline.