Spanking children and negative affects have once again come up in the news. But how accurately are the effects being reported?
A new study reveals that, when children are spanked, they are more likely to become more aggressive. According to the study, which sampled over 2,500 mothers, children who are spanked more frequently increase their levels of aggression through the age of five. Children who are spanked even less than two times a month at three still have a 40 percent increased risk of aggressive behavior at age five.
While I do think the study is valid in reporting the found data, I dont think its being reported correctly. For instance, the handful of media reports I found state that other factors should be considered, such as alcohol use, violence in the home, and parent neglect. Those are pretty big factors that can lead to childrens aggressive behavior, spanked or not spanked.
We also have to consider what the spankings were for, the duration of the spankings, the motive and mood behind the spankings, and what was used for spanking.
I think the real truth is that children who are spanked as the sole form of discipline may end up feeling bullied and will act out aggressively. Think about a three year-olds mental development. As smart as he may be, hes barely getting anything beyond stimulus-response. A three year-old who is spanked harshly for even the slightest disciplinary violation may grow up to be anxious and seek to control what he can, such as smaller children, when he reaches five years. A temperamental child that throws tantrums may not change from any spanking. Hes now just crying from pain and not getting his way.
From a cultural context, previous studies on spanking or corporal punishment revealed surprising results. African American children who were spanked actually turned out to be less troublesome when they get older. The reasoning, according to a longitudinal study published in the psychological studies test Development Through Lifespan, was that African Americans within the group studied incorporated spanking with warmth and understanding afterward. Spanking wasnt used as a last resort or as a way to vent anger towards a child. Spanking was generally not out of control.
Yet lawmakers have tried to exert control. In 2007, San Francisco Assemblywoman Sally Lieber introduced a bill that would criminalize parents who spank their children if it included a closed fist or foreign objects. Although family science professor Robert Larzelere agreed with her bill, he had an issue with banning foreign objects. The issue is not what the child is spanked with, but how hard theyre spanked, he commented.
And control is really the truth about spanking. Parents should spank out of anger. Love should accompany any discipline, and discipline should be administered in relation to the offense. Even if your three year-old doesnt get it just then, he eventually will. Whats important is they learn impulse control, which is where they have the most difficulty. By being consistent with your boundaries and discipline-no matter what safe techniques you use-youll earn the healthy respect you want from your child.