The review, published this past June in the journal Lancet, draws strong conclusions around a concept that has long been somewhat murky. Researchers found that spanking did not improve the behavior of those being spanked overall. Instead, it exacerbated bad behavior, leading to increased aggression, antisocial behavior, and disruptive behavior. And the more children received spankings, the more they acted out. In other words, spanking had the opposite of its intended effect.
When most parents talk about effective disciplinary measures, “they mean things that improve children’s behavior over time,” says Joan Durrant, PhD, a child clinical psychologist and one of the review’s co-authors. “But what we see with physical punishment, and spanking specifically, [are] increases in the behaviors we don’t want. If parents think it’s improving behavior, that’s just not the case.”
