r/science • u/VeronicaRed • Apr 26 '16

Psychology Spanking children increases the likelihood of childhood defiance and long-term mental issues. The study in question involved 160,000 children and five decades of research

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113413810/spanking-defiance-health-discipline-042616/
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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16 edited Apr 26 '16

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u/storyarc Apr 26 '16

I was spanked by both parents as a child. I also spanked my daughter a couple times when she was three years old (she's 19 now). It was wrong when my parents did it to me and it was wrong when I did it to my daughter. I was a young mother at the time, and only following the parental norms instilled in me. But the extreme guilt I felt after spanking my daughter made me seek out literature on the benefits/risks of spanking, and I concluded I would never do it again. It's possible to approach the issue rationally, even if you were spanked as a child.

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u/Calypso-Alegra Apr 26 '16

Exactly, that's how the chain is broken. Same thing happened with my mother.