There is always controversy around spanking, and the newest research is sure to spark some more.
Newsweek reported new research on spanking and the data suggested that if there is a cultural view that spanking is a normal consequence for bad behavior, kids of that culture were not negatively effected by the occasional use of the punishment.
It is important to note that spanking, in this instance, is defined as a quick swat on the butt, infrequently, to immediately right wrong behavior, such as when a child puts themselves in a dangerous situation, is engaging in dangerous behavior, or is acting in an inappropriate manner.
To clear it up a bit, the research suggested that “in cultures and communities where spanking is common, parents are less agitated when administering spankings” and parents who almost never spank, but frequently lose their tempers, can be worse than spanking frequently.
Data on children that have never been spanked is hard to find as it is hard to find children who have never been spanked. However, parenting has shifted in recent years, and with alternative ways of disciplining, many parents are vowing to never lay a hand on their child. But is that what is best for them?
Dr. Marjorie Gunnoe is working with the first group of teens in a new population study underway called Portraits of American Life. Gunnoe is currently interviewing the first wave of participating teens to see how spanking has effected the way they are growing up.
The study asked teens how old they were when their last spanking occurred, and how frequently they were spanked as children. That was then compared to the many popular fears people have about spanking in the future: antisocial behavior, early sexual activity, physical violence, and depression.
Gunnoe also looked into positive consequences, which many researchers don’t bother with, such as academic success, college goals, confidence and future career goals.
The outcome was surprising: those teens who had been spanked only between the ages of 2 to 6 were performing better in almost every area as teenagers than those who’d never been spanked.
The more ‘new age’ parents who never spank may be at a disadvantage. Many people say that children that are babied never learn to make it in the cold, harsh world on their own, but is it a matter of spanking, or is it a matter of substituting the spanking with an equally consistent and effective form of punishment?
