Does Spanking Harm Children? The Science Behind Physical Discipline

[wolram]

I do not think it did me any harm i was given the cane at school and had the occasional slap from my parents.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160425143106.htm

 

[phinds]

This is a highly contentious subject. You might as well use a divining rod as asking an internet forum. Pick whatever answer you like and you will find a study to back it up.

 

[jw6661]

There was a study on NPR that spanking in america today does not do anything. Kids will not learn much from spanking!

 

[1oldman2]

There was a study on NPR that spanking in america today does not do anything. Kids will not learn much from spanking!

With my kids I always preferred Positive reinforcement vs,negative(spanking/slapping) It's just good psychology whether your training kids, dogs or yourself.

 

[Kevin McHugh]

I don't know if it did any good, but it certainly did no harm. My Irish father would beat us good if we deserved it.

 

[rootone]

The cane was also applied to me at school.
What hurt more than the cane was that my supposed offence was completely fictional,
(Story told by another kid with no effort made to verify if it was true.)

 

[davenn]

This is a highly contentious subject. You might as well use a divining rod as asking an internet forum. Pick whatever answer you like and you will find a study to back it up.

yes is it !
but a good whack on the butt or the back of the legs from dad never did any long term harm
and I learned not to make that error that again

the real problem is ... where the child is getting spanked smacked etc ... unfortunately some parents
are not confining it to the butt and that is when permanent injury can occur ... when hit on the head etc

The cane was also applied to me at school.
What hurt more than the cane was that my supposed offence was completely fictional,
(Story told by another kid with no effort made to verify if it was true.)

yeah I know that one
All caning at school gave me was a healthy hate for authority, rather than the respect/learning when dad smacked me
Authority figures handing out punishment for false reasons infuriates me no end ... and still does to this day
Dave

 

[billy_joule]

Are we all reading the same paper? I thought it was pretty damn conclusive.

Pick whatever answer you like and you will find a study to back it up.

Sure, but you'd be cherry picking, about 95% of the 111 studies analysed showed negative outcomes from spanking.

To offer my own anecdote, all of the violent people I know (or more accurately, knew) including four who've been to prison for violent crimes were smacked (or 'spanked') as children.
I live in a country with the highest rates of domestic violence in the OECD (New Zealand), and I saw a lot of it growing up in a small, poor town, I've seen how violence breeds violence and I support any means to reduce violence towards our most vulnerable and impressionable: children, so I'm happy to see such a paper published.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

This is a topic that has been discussed in scientific literature. Members are asked to please stop offering up their anecdotes. Links to studies only or the thread will be closed.

 

[1oldman2]

I really was going to post relevant links, more pro/con than you can imagine. I came to the conclusion that phinds already said all there was to say in post #2.

 

[geoffrey159]

Spanking is not meant to physically harm children. It is meant to teach/remind the limits not to cross (ex: in the park, your kid bites another kid. Are you going to 'positively reinforce' him or spank him ? ). It must be incredibly difficult to raise a kid who feels his parents are afraid to spank him, and I find dishonest to associate spanking with violence.

 

[Pepper Mint]

I do not think it did me any harm i was given the cane at school and had the occasional slap from my parents.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160425143106.htm

How my parents and teachers slapped or spanked me made a subtle difference compared to what people may call "child-abuse, bully" or "family violence". They didn't slapped me in the face so hard that I lost 5 or 10 of my teeth; they sure also didn't break one of my legs or arms because I stole a big banana from the trouser pocket of my teacher with their spanks.
The authors of the research might not have considered links to different cultures, living conditions and lives around the world, so I support the idea not to "spread" this report more publicly.

 

[mgkii]

For goodness sake will someone please close this thread and put all the dinosaurs out of their misery. Read the research and join the real world.

Or why not start a thread about is it OK to be "a bit racist" - like spanking it only "a bit violent"... Close please!

 

[geoffrey159]

For goodness sake will someone please close this thread and put all the dinosaurs out of their misery. Read the research and join the real world.

Or why not start a thread about is it OK to be "a bit racist" - like spanking it only "a bit violent"... Close please!

My little finger tells me that you've managed to dodge spanking in your childhood :-)

 

[Ryan_m_b]

It was a really simple request: no anecdotes, just research. This might be the general discussion but that's no excuse. Thread locked.