This paper reviews research on the effects of corporal punishment on children's behavior and development. Drawing on studies published in peer-reviewed journals such as Pediatrics and the Journal of Counseling and Development, the paper examines how spanking — one of the most widely used disciplinary tools for preschool-aged children — may increase antisocial behavior, model physical aggression, and contribute to behavior problems at school age. The paper also addresses racial and ethnic differences in outcomes, the cultural context of Latino parenting practices, and broader societal links between corporal punishment and violence, including higher homicide rates in societies that endorse physical discipline.
Many parents believe that spanking their children when they misbehave is a normal and acceptable parenting tool. However, a growing body of research suggests that corporal punishment may actually increase a child's behavior problems and may promote antisocial behavior later in life (Grogan-Kaylor).
A 1999 study revealed that the use of physical punishment on a child shapes the child's model of their relationship with their parents, and that when a child is exposed to harsh discipline during the early years of childhood, they are more likely to imitate the parent's aggressive behavior (Grogan-Kaylor). An earlier study also found that parents who use harsh discipline may "unintentionally promote antisocial behavior in their children through inept discipline practices and erratic expressions of anger toward the child" (Grogan-Kaylor).
A 1994 study revealed that rather than reducing inappropriate behaviors, the use of physical punishment taught children that physical aggression is a normal and appropriate method of resolving conflicts (Grogan-Kaylor). These findings collectively suggest that spanking may model the very behaviors parents seek to eliminate.
Spanking is one of the most widely used forms of discipline for preschool-aged children (Wissow). The May 2004 issue of Pediatrics reported that approximately ninety-four percent of three- and four-year-old children had been spanked at least once during the past year, and a substantial minority of parents reported spanking infants and toddlers (Wissow). According to a national survey by the Commonwealth Fund, eleven percent of parents reported having spanked a child six to eleven months of age, thirty-six percent reported having spanked a child twelve to seventeen months of age, and fifty-nine percent reported having spanked a child eighteen to twenty-three months of age (Wissow).
For many researchers and clinicians, these statistics raise serious concern that spanking children at such early ages could negatively affect the critical developmental transitions that take place before the age of two (Wissow).
Research has also identified racial and ethnic differences in the relationship between spanking and behavior outcomes. White non-Hispanic children who were spanked more frequently before two years of age were more likely to have behavior problems when they entered school. However, for Hispanic and black children, "associations between spanking frequency and behavior problems were not statistically significant and were not consistent across outcome measures" (Wissow).
"Spanking effects vary by racial and ethnic group"
"Latino parenting practices, cultural misunderstanding, and risk"
"Links between spanking norms and broader societal violence"
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