Research suggests reasons why mothers spank children
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Whether to spank children as a method of discipline is hotly debated. Some evidence suggests spanking predisposes children to behave aggressively. Others say spanking does no harm if it’s carried out dispassionately.
A study published today in Archives of Disease in Childhood shows that mothers are more inclined to spank their children if they are depressed, live in a home where they are exposed to violence or if their children are difficult to control.
Researchers at Boston Medical Center studied almost 13,000 mother-child pairs as part of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort. The mothers answered survey questions on whether they had serious disagreements with their spouses that involved hitting or throwing things at one another. They also completed a depression assessment. The children’s behavior was assessed by their kindergarten teachers.
Among mothers with neither depression nor exposure to violence at home, one in four said they spanked their children. Among mothers who said they were either depressed or exposed to violence, one in three spanked. But among those with both depression and exposure to violence, one in two spanked. Moreover, children who had trouble controlling their own behavior got walloped more. Among mothers with depression, 33% of children with good self-control were spanked compared with 53% of children with poor self-control.
That last finding is important because there is a lack of data that reveal how a child’s behavior affects the risk of physical punishment. Indeed, any research that helps explain the causes and ramifications of spanking is valuable considering the lack of evidence that spanking is more effective than other forms of discipline. Spanking is discouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics. For more information, see the AAP’s web page for parents on discipline and spanking.
-- Shari Roan