Long-Term Impacts of Corporal Punishment by Parents

About Corporal Punishment

• The term "corporal punishment" can describe a wide range of parental behaviors, ranging from an occasional open-handed swat on the buttocks to beatings with fists, belts or other objects. Some countries have gone so far as to legally abolish any form of physical punishment, according to a February 2012 press release from the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Two-thirds of American parents approve of physical punishment, however, according to an April 2012 article on the American Psychological Association website.

Aggression

• Physical punishment increases the occurrence of aggression toward parents, siblings and peers, according to the CMAJ. The CMAJ notes that as adults, children who were physically disciplined are more likely to be aggressive toward their spouses as well. Dr. Murray Strauss, author of ̶0;Beating the Devil Out of Them,̶1; states that any physical punishment is a form of violence against children. Strauss recommends parents avoid any form of corporal punishment and use the techniques of the authoritative parenting method instead.

Injury and Abuse

• The Phoenix Children's Hospital website notes that research indicates physical punishment does not improve children's behavior over the long term, and that physical punishment makes it more likely children will be aggressive and defiant. The hospital site adds that when children are punished physically, they are at greater risk of serious injury and physical abuse. One of the most serious risks related to corporal punishment, according to the APA, is that when it is not effective, parents may escalate the punishment.

Teenagers

• Physical punishment of teenagers, according to psychologist Carl Pickhardt, writing for Psychology Today, results in a teen who is humiliated and angry because the teen feels demeaned. Physical punishment of teenagers, Pickhardt notes, can cause alienation between parents and teen and can have even more serious consequences if the teen fights back physically. Whether corporal punishment is an effective disciplinary technique may be a matter of degree, however, according to the APA. A parent who applies a single slap on the buttocks to a 2- to 6-year-old child who has defied other methods of discipline, such as a time out, is using a very different disciplinary technique than a parent who regularly beats a 13 year old with his belt or fists until she is bruised.