Spanking During Infancy and Toddler Years Linked to Later Behavior Problems

In the United States, spanking is a common method used to discipline preschoolers, even though organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly discourage spanking and say it's the least effective way to discipline a child. Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, studied whether spanking children under 2 affects behavior later in childhood.

From 1979 to 1998, the parents of 1,966 children from birth to 23 months of age were interviewed about their home environment and knowledge of child development. The families included in the study came from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. During the interview, parents noted whether they spanked their child in the last week, their child's general temperament, how often they read books to their child, and other characteristics about their household. Four years later, after the children had entered school, the parents completed a survey of the behavior problems their children experienced and were asked whether they had ever been called to their child's school to discuss behavior problems with a teacher or administrator.

At the beginning of the study, about 40% of the parents in the study reported spanking their infant or toddler at least once in the previous week. Among the ethnic groups examined in the study, there were several differences. For black and Hispanic children, being spanked frequently (more than five times in 1 week) before age 2 wasn't associated with a higher risk of behavior problems when a child reached school age. But in white non-Hispanic children, spanking before age 2 was associated with a greater likelihood of behavior problems.

What This Means to You: Spanking children frequently at a young age may be associated with behavior problems once children reach school age. Although the study authors point out that many children in the study who were spanked frequently did not develop behavior problems, it's also important to note that physical punishment like spanking could teach children that violence is an acceptable way to express anger. According to the AAP, spanking also could interfere with the development of trust, security, and communication between parent and child. If you have any questions about effective ways to discipline without spanking, talk to your child's doctor for suggestions.

Source: Eric P. Slade, PhD; Lawrence S. Wissow, MD; Pediatrics, May 2004

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: June 2004

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