Another study found that spanking results in lower IQ. An analysis of intelligence scores of 1,500 children who participated in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth showed that those who were often spanked had lower IQs (Boyles, 2009)
The study also found that depressive symptoms decreased when emotional support was increased. Emotional support is thus necessary to balance or decrease the negative impact of spanking on children's mental health (Grogan-Kaylor, 2007)
But all too often, this tool is more often taken to extremes and improperly imposed and thus brings about adverse consequences on the child. In response to popular outcry against the negative effects of spanking, child maltreatment has been banned in 23 countries (Taylor, 2009)
Their main intention is to have the child understand that he or she has made a mistake, but they are generally unsupportive in regard to chastisement practices that leave physical injuries on the children. Even with that, when considering the punished child's mental state, there are chances that he or she has been affected as a result of being subjected to physical harm (Davis, 1999, p
For them, physical punishment can easily lead to abuse, considering that they cannot possibly measure the intensity of their act, given that it seems useless for them to physically punish a child without actually hurting him or her. A tutor is usually angry when he or she physically harms a child, thus meaning that it is less likely for him or her to fully appreciate the consequences of his or her actions (Grolnick, 2003, p
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child deals with problems regarding children and with how they are treated around the world. Even with that, "the Convention does not specifically address what forms of discipline should be used in the home" (Paintal, 2007)
From their perspective, spanking "is God's idea -- it is an expression of love. One could almost be convinced that one is doing a child a favor by beating him" (Tauber, 1999, p
" Two other authors note, "A further example of how difficult it can be to measure parenting relates to findings that spanking has less negative consequences for black than white children. Spanking may be more normative for the black children, and it may occur in the context of warm parenting -- that is, tough love" (Brooks-Gunn & Markman, 2005)
If a parent spanks a child that hard, it is child abuse, and this discussion assumes that spanking will be mild, more of a swat on the bottom than a major assault on the child. The Rationale for Selecting Spanking The rationale for selecting this topic is that it is quite controversial, but most parents admit they use spanking as a disciplines, sometimes even though they do not "believe" in spanking (Diller, 2008, p
While a large segment of society seems to frown on spanking, a large number of parents say they use spanking as a tool in their family. A group of authors note, "In fact, in a national study, more than 90% of parents reported that they had used spanking as a way of disciplining their young children, and the vast majority of adults (approximately 80%) endorsed the use of spanking" (Hanson, Smith & Fricker-Elhai, 2004, p
In conclusion, studies indicate that spanking, at least mild spanking, can have a positive impact on children in a variety of ways. Spanking is not cruel or "assault and battery" (Puka, 2005), as some people believe
Americans will have a hard time giving up their right to spank children, given that the majority of parents in the United States either use corporal punishment or support its use. Demby notes that as many as eight out of every ten Americans favor corporal punishment as a means of disciplining children (Demby 1)
Many psychologists also believe that corporal punishment is less effective than other types of disciplinary action. Even if corporal punishment causes "minimal" problems in children, it would seem sensible to cease the practice in order to develop more effective means of discipline (Ferguson)
Scientific evidence has in fact consistently shown that corporal punishment can be detrimental to the child's psychological growth and development and may even leave long-lasting repercussions (Samakow). Some potentially detrimental effects of corporal punishment include increased anxiety sensitivity in children (Graham and Weems 886)
Test scores have highlighted the measurable cognitive effects of corporal punishment on children, with lower vocabulary and math learning skills reported for children who were systematically and routinely spanked in the home (Reeves and Cuddy). Because many parents use corporal punishment more than they admit, with experiments showing that when monitored, parents use spanking far more frequently than their self-reports indicate, the practice would appear to be a serious public health issue (Holden et al
Those numbers may be even higher among certain population groups, particularly the most conservative religious Americans like fundamentalist Christians (Gershof, Purtell and Holas). For this reason, corporal punishment has not been outlawed as it has in as many as 34 other countries (Jones)
The fact that corporal punishment has been made illegal in public schools in America, and the fact that dozens of other developed nations ban the practice, it would seem that Americans are culturally backwards when it comes to this form of parenting. In fact, many American parents use corporal punishment for "minor transgressions" and "mundane reasons," and not just as a last resort (Nicholson 1)
Some potentially detrimental effects of corporal punishment include increased anxiety sensitivity in children (Graham and Weems 886). Anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, anger management issues, and substance abuse problems in adulthood have been correlated with corporal punishment in childhood (Reeves and Cuddy)
In fact, the opposite is true. Scientific evidence has in fact consistently shown that corporal punishment can be detrimental to the child's psychological growth and development and may even leave long-lasting repercussions (Samakow)