Spanking a child DOES affect their mental health

[Alan C.]

Spanking a child DOES affect their mental health and is 'often the first form of child abuse', experts claim

 

Spanking, or, as it’s formally known, 'corporal punishment,' has been much in the news of late.

Out on the presidential campaign trail there was Senator Ted Cruz’s revelation about spanking.

Senator Cruz said: 'If my daughter Catherine, the five-year-old, says something she knows to be false, she gets a spanking.'

. . .

...'In the United States, it is against the law to hit prisoners, criminals or other adults.

'Ironically, the only humans it is still legal to hit are the most vulnerable members of our society – those we are charged to protect – children.'

Dr Knox, like many mental health professionals, cites a strong correlation between corporal punishment and child abuse.

She said: 'Spanking is often the first step in the cycle of child abuse.'

. . .

The psychological toll on children subjected to corporal punishment is well-documented.

In 2011, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners issued a statement that said: 'Corporal punishment (CP) is an important risk factor for children developing a pattern of impulsive and antisocial behavior…[and] children who experience frequent CP… are more likely to engage in violent behaviors in adulthood.'

Similarly, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, in a 2012 statement, concluded: '…although corporal punishment may have a high rate of immediate behavior modification, it is ineffective over time, and is associated with increased aggression and decreased moral internalization of appropriate behavior.'

In short, spanking a child may seem helpful in the short term, but is ineffective and probably harmful in the long term.

The child who is often spanked learns that physical force is an acceptable method of problem solving.