SPANKIN G YOUR KIDS

September 12

2013
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EVER WONDERED ABOUT SPANKING AS A CORRECT DISCIPLINARY TOOL FOR YOUR KIDS WELL COLU!BIA UNIVERSITY IN NEWYORK RECENTLY CONDUCTED RESEARC" INTO T"IS CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC# T"EIR FINDINGS ARE INTRIGUING###

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Children who were smacked as five-year-olds were slightly more likely to be aggressive and break rules later in primary school Experts say smacking doesn't teach children how to negotiate
By ANNA HODGEKISS

It's long been thought that smacking a naughty child will hel kee them in line ! but a new study suggests it might do mo"e ha"m than good# $esea"che"s %ound child"en who we"e smacked as %i&e! yea"!olds we"e slightly mo"e likely to be agg"essi&e and b"eak "ules late" in "ima"y school# Des ite mounting e&idence on the ha"ms tied to it' it is 'still a &e"y ty ical e( e"ience' %o" child"en' the study)s lead autho" said#

It's long been thought that smacking a naughty child will help keep them in line - but a new study suggests it might do more harm than good

'*ost kids e( e"ience s anking at least some oint in time'' *ichael *acKen+ie' %"om ,olumbia -ni&e"sity in New .o"k' said# 'So the"e)s this disconnect#' His team used data %"om a long!te"m study o% child"en bo"n in one o% /0 -#S# cities between 1223 and /000# 4he new "e o"t includes about 1'200 child"en# $esea"che"s su"&eyed a"ents when child"en we"e th"ee and %i&e yea"s old about whethe" and how o%ten they smacked thei" child# 4hen they asked mothe"s about thei" child's beha&iou" "oblems and ga&e the child"en a &ocabula"y test at age nine#
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A total o% 56 e" cent o% mothe"s and 70 e" cent o% %athe"s said they smacked child"en when they we"e th"ee yea"s old# 4hat %ell slightly to 5/ e" cent o% mothe"s and 88 e" cent o% %athe"s who smacked at the age o% %i&e# ,hild"en we"e mo"e misbeha&ed and we"e mo"e agg"essi&e when they had been smacked by thei" mothe"s as %i&e!yea"! olds' whethe" "egula"ly o" occasionally# S anking by mothe"s at least twice a week was tied to a two! oint inc"ease on a 60! oint scale o% "oblem beha&iou"#

Children were more misbehaved and were more aggressive when they had been smacked by their mothers as five-year-olds

4hat was a%te" the "esea"che"s took into account child"en)s beha&iou" at younge" ages and othe" %amily cha"acte"istics# 4he"e was no link between smacking by a"ents at age th"ee and child"en)s late" beha&iou"' howe&e"# ,hidl"en also tended to sco"e lowe" on &ocabula"y tests when they had been "egula"ly s anked by thei" %athe"s at age %i&e' *acKen+ie and his colleagues w"ite in 9ediat"ics# 4he a&e"age &ocabula"y sco"e %o" all nine!yea"!olds in the study was 28' slightly below the test!wide standa"d sco"e o% 100# :"e;uent s anking by %athe"s was linked to a %ou"! oint lowe" sco"e# But the "esea"che"s couldn)t be su"e that small di%%e"ence wasn)t due to chance# Ge"sho%% said the %inding is a bit ha"d to inte" "et# 'I don)t think that s anking makes kids stu ide"'< she said# It)s ossible that a"ents who a"e s anking a"e not talking to thei" child"en as o%ten' Ge"sho%% said# O" kids who a"e s anked and act out could be mo"e dist"acted in the class"oom# =hen it comes to disci lining child"en' she said the"e)s mo"e e&idence on what doesn)t wo"k long!te"m than what does# '=e know that s anking doesn)t wo"k' we know that yelling doesn)t wo"k'' Ge"sho%% said# '4ime out is kind o% a mi(ed bag# =e know that "easoning does wo"k#' She told $eute"s Health# 'S anking models agg"ession as a way o% sol&ing "oblems' that you can hit eo le and get what you want# '=hen >child"en? want anothe" kid)s toy' the a"ents ha&en)t taught them how to use thei" wo"ds o" how to negotiate#'

9"o%esso" *acKen+ie said s anking continues to seem e%%ecti&e to a"ents in the sho"t te"m' which makes it ha"d to change thei" minds about it#