Spanking
This month the American Academy of Pediatrics put out a statement against physical punishment (including spanking) and verbal abuse of children.
Why are are putting spanking in with verbal abuse? Verbal abuse?
Basically anything that is intended to cause pain or discomfort is considered physical punishment. This includes spanking with a hand, hitting with a spoon or belt, slapping, or making them eat something such as soap. Verbal abuse includes anything that is intended to hurt, humiliate, or theraten.
Yeah, but it works well.
Actually it doesn’t. Current studies show that there is no behavioral benefit in the long term. It can affect behavior in the short term, but its effects can last less than 10 minutes. Most children go right back to the bad behavior within the 10 minutes.
So what, I was spanked, and I’m fine.
You may well be fine. However, studies have shown that children that are spanked are actually more likely to develop aggressive behavior as they get older. The children in the study at age nine were more likely to ‘act out’, and also had lower receptive vocabulary scores (words the child can hear and understand).
Studies have also shown that those who are hit/spanked are: more likely to be defiant and aggressive in the future; have an increased risk of mental health and cognitive disorders, more at risk for injuries because they may be young or the family stress at the time makes the caregiver give a more harsh punishment. Even yelling and other harsh verbal punishment can lead to adolescent depression and acting out.
The increase in aggression and acting out verbally or physically often leads to continued or more harsh guardian punishment, which leads to more acting out…as you can see, it can compound.
I think you’re full of it. That’s with people who beat their kids. There’s no way just spanking does that.
I know it seems unbelievable, but studies have shown that children who are spanked can show similar adverse outcomes as those who were physically abused. Also, researchers have shown that children who experienced physical punishment and verbal abuse actually had abnormalities on MRI vs children who had no exposure. Also, there may be elevated cortisol levels associated with physical punishment, which can hurt the body and brain.
Huh. So what am I supposed to do, then?
Good question. Ideally you guide your child in appropriate behavior as they develop into a mature, confident person. Not so simple. Guiding and disciplining your child should be done in ways that the child should understand, and that are appropriate to their developmental age at the time. Also not so simple.
I plan on writing the next blog on some more specifics, to help with these questions. In general, though, if I boil it down to just a few things, they are 1. Model the behavior you want to see, 2. Catch your child doing good things, 3. If you need to punish – time out, taking away a toy – be consistent.
In the meantime, for more information, you can go to these places.
AAP’s healthychildren on discipline.
