Study: Spanked children more likely to be violent with future partners
(WFLA) – A new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics claims kids who were spanked growing up are more likely to be violent towards their future loved ones.
The study asked young adults how often they were spanked, slapped or struck with an object as form of punishment when they were young.
“Kids who said they had experienced corporal punishment were more likely to have recently committed dating violence,” the study found.
The study’s lead author, Jeff Temple, said regardless of whether someone experienced child abuse or not, spanking alone was predictive of dating violence.
The American Academy of Pediatricians who specializes in the prevention of childhood violence agreed, pointing to research that links corporal punishment to mental health disorders and aggression.
Some remain unconvinced of the harms of spanking, including a small group of physicians and researchers who continue to argue that it is beneficial, or at least not bad for kids.