Author: Trisha Leigh Zeigenhorn / Source: did you know?
The use of corporal punishment while rearing children is a continued topic of hot debate. People on the “pro” side of the issue figure that the way they were raised didn’t harm them, so why change, while those on the other worry about the psychological impact childhood violence could have on the next generation.
Even though this isn’t the first time science is weighing in on the topic, a new study shows a clear correlation between the use of corporal punishment and incidences of violence in youth and beyond.
In fact, youth living in countries with bans on corporal punishment were found to be 31% less violent than those living in countries that let parents make discipline decisions for themselves.
The study’s data came from 88 countries and covered over 400,000 adolescents, and the results of the “largest cross-national analysis of youth violence” were published in the journal BMJ. The results were clear, if a bit unsurprising for those against the practice of spanking.
“Societies that have these bans in place appear to be safer places for kids to grow up in,” reported lead study author Frank Elgar.
30 of the 88 covered countries had bans on spanking and other forms of corporal punishment, while 38 featured partial bans, and 20 had no bans in place whatsoever. For the purposes of the study, corporal punishment was defined as an…
The post The Results Are in: Kids Are Less Violent in Countries Where Spanking Is Outlawed appeared first on FeedBox.