Spanking Kids May Lead to Problems

Answer 1

According to a new study, spanking or hitting children as punishment may increase their risk of mental disorders in adulthood.

The study used data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions and an additional survey that asked 20,607 adults, age 20 and older, how often they were physically punished as children.

The study did not include people who experienced maltreatment as children or emotional neglect.

Researchers found that those who experienced physical punishment were 93% more likely to have mania, 59% more likely to abuse alcohol, 53% more likely to abuse any drug and 41% more likely to have depression.

Other research has linked child abuse with mental disorders in adulthood but this study suggests that physical punishment, even without full-scale abuse, can also lead to mental disorders.

Researchers noted that since participants answered questions based on memory, the data could have reporting biases.