New research that explored the long-debated effects of spanking on a child's development said the punishment may not be as detrimental to a kid's future as some studies claimed.
The research, published in the Marriage & Family Review, found that childhood spanking accounted for less than 1% of changes in child outcomes. This, researchers claimed, meant the negative effects of spanking might be exaggerated.
The study recommends that if spanking is used as a punishment, it should only be done with two open-handed swats on the bottom of children aged two to six. However, spanking should only be used if the child fails to respond to milder disciplinary techniques such as time-outs, the researchers noted in the paper.
How the Researchers Conducted the Study
Robert E. Larzelere, author of "Authoritative Parenting" and lead researcher of the study, conducted meta-analyses of data from 47 previous studies that tracked the 12,727 children over time. The research examined four factors, including externalizing problems, internalizing problems, cognitive performance, and social competence.
Additionally, the study focused on "back-up spanking," which involves two open-handed swats to a child's bottom.
The study found that spanking explained less than 1% of the variance in child outcomes and was actually linked to slight reductions in bad externalizing behavior, even after accounting for baseline behaviors.
"This suggests that spanking has a minimal impact on externalizing problems, internalizing problems, cognitive performance, and social competence. The results indicate that previous reports of the harmful effects of spanking may have been overstated due to residual confounding," the researchers said.
Negative Outcomes of Spanking
The study noted that spanking is only effective in younger children. However, spanking is less effective in children aged 8 to 11. The study also linked spanking to slightly worse outcomes in older children.
That said, researchers found that misusing spanking or the excessive application of physical punishment can lead to negative outcomes in children.
The new findings echo the results of a study published in Child Development in 2021 that found occasional, mild spanking as punishment had minimal negative effects on the behavior of a child.
