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Spanking children doesn't work.

catsmate

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catsmate
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Apr 9, 2007
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A bit of a "well duh" but here's more research that shows that corporal punishment of children is a bad idea.
The study reviews more than fifty years of research, covering more than 160,000 children and demonstrates conclusively that physical punishment of children is ineffective but can lead to significant problems, from mental health issues to increased aggression.

Elizabeth Gershoff said:
The upshot of the study is that spanking increases the likelihood of a wide variety of undesired outcomes for children. Spanking thus does the opposite of what parents usually want it to do.
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So the Pope, Focus on the Family, and >80% of USAians, are wrong. Leave spanking to consenting adults.


Study: Spanking and Child Outcomes: Old Controversies and New Meta-Analyses.
Press Release.
 
Upchurch said:
What? Is that number accurate-ish or hyperbole?
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Unfortunately not. The figure is based on the most recent poll I could find, by Harris for NBC News in 2011 (link).

A Harris poll last year found that 81 percent of Americans say parents spanking their children is sometimes appropriate, while 19 percent say it is never appropriate. Two-thirds of parents said they had spanked their children while a third said they had not.
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...and the more water you give children the more likely they are to drown.
 
If you don't really like children , spanking works wonderfully well . Much more fun than just spraying them with Fly Killer
There is no need to limit this to only your own children . Help out other sick adults .
And it's a good way to make new friends .
 
catsmate said:
A bit of a "well duh" but here's more research that shows that corporal punishment of children is a bad idea.
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Did they compare "no physical punishment" to "excessive physical punishment" again? Or did they have a group who were punished once every blue moon, this time?
 
Argumemnon said:
Did they compare "no physical punishment" to "excessive physical punishment" again? Or did they have a group who were punished once every blue moon, this time?
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It was meta analyses, so probably a mix of all.

I figure toddlers need to learn the word 'no' means NO. A thump on their diapered butt will do that without physical damage or pain. Thereafter there should be no need to yank their pants down and wail on them with a leather strap, leaving welts for a week. Or to have a special strap with the end split hanging on a nail over the dining table. That was mental abuse added.
 
casebro said:
I figure toddlers need to learn the word 'no' means NO. A thump on their diapered butt will do that without physical damage or pain.
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I'm with you on physical damage, but a slight amount of pain isn't necessarily a negative. I've had two major slap-fests on the ass as a child, only one of which I was old enough to remember now, and I can guarantee that I entirely deserved that one.

Some children never need that, and that's great, but I'm not going to claim that none of them do, or that it can't be effective because some study found that whipping your children twice a week is bad, as if anybody would disagree with that.
 
It seemed to me at the time that the threat of corporal punishment stopped me doing stuff I knew would result in it, or made sure I did stuff stuff I knew not doing would result in it. The problem with the sort of research is that it is predicated on measuring the outcomes fopr the kids that got/get spanked, not the ones who didn't, because they behaved (or weren't caught). When I was at school kids were in three categories:

1. The kids who didn't misbehave, because they didn't want to in the first place.
2. The kids who didn't misbehave because of the threat of corporal punishment.
3. The kids who misbehaved, regardless of how much corporal punishment they received as a result.
 
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Information Analyst said:
It seemed to me at the time that the threat of corporal punishment stopped me doing stuff I knew would result in it, or made sure I did stuff stuff I knew not doing would result in it. The problem with the sort of research is that it is predicated on measuring the outcomes fopr the kids that got/get spanked, not the ones who didn't, because they behaved (or weren't caught). When I was at school kids were in three categories:

1. The kids who didn't misbehave, because they didn't want to in the first place.
2. The kids who didn't misbehave because of the threat of corporal punishment.
3. The kids who misbehaved, regardless of how much corporal punishment they received as a result.
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My three kids can each cover your list over the course of a week.
 
Dr. Keith said:
Exactly, so long as your goal is getting the recipient of the pain to defy their parents and to experience increased anti-social behavior, aggression, mental health problems and cognitive difficulties.
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Again, it really depends on the child, the punishment, the situation. I don't think one can say that physical punishment works or doesn't work, full stop. It works sometimes, with some children.

Aversion to pain and punishment is one thing, but with moderation.
 
casebro said:
It was meta analyses, so probably a mix of all.

I figure toddlers need to learn the word 'no' means NO. A thump on their diapered butt will do that without physical damage or pain. Thereafter there should be no need to yank their pants down and wail on them with a leather strap, leaving welts for a week. Or to have a special strap with the end split hanging on a nail over the dining table. That was mental abuse added.
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Yeah, that works real well when you then turn around and tell them not to hit someone themselves. :rolleyes:

Are you incapable of just physically stopping them without hitting them? Maybe thinking of a more creative means of motivating the child to behave?
 
Argumemnon said:
Again, it really depends on the child, the punishment, the situation. I don't think one can say that physical punishment works or doesn't work, full stop. It works sometimes, with some children.
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Like homeopathy or prayer, right?

When it works it works, trust me I've seen it work. But these damn scientific studies never seem to see how well it works.

Aversion to pain and punishment is one thing, but with moderation.
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Yes, battery with moderation. It works for the wife, why not the kids.
 
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