Study Finds That Spanking Your Kids Leads To Long-Term Changes In Behavior.

The study is said to show that every form of physical discipline including spanking has negative effects on the behavior of a child than experts originally believed.

Researchers at the University of Missouri conducted the behavioral study. In it, they found that children who received spankings from ages as young as 15 months begin to show mostly negative attitudes with very little positive by the time they enter the 5th grade. This attitude also extends well into their teen years.

Director of the Center for Family Policy and Research at Milsap University, Gustavo Carlo said: “How parents treat their kids at a young age greatly impacts their behavior.” He made it a point to stress the importance of parents finding other ways to discipline their kids because of the long-term impact of physical punishment. He also said that parents should really educate their kids on different ways to keep their behavior in line if they want their kids to remember the lesson.

It was proven long ago that spankings and other forms of physical punishment had negative impacts on children but until now, no one knew just how long those effects lasted.

In the study, published in Octobers issue of Developmental Psychology, Carlo's team examined data from over 1800 mothers and kids that live in poverty with European or African American roots. The data samples were taken from kids at 15 months, 25 months and 5th grade. The team visited the kid's homes and even talked to the children's teachers.

The study found long-lasting effects such as juvenile delinquency and increased aggression in African American kids. It's important to note that temporary increases in such behaviors were seen regardless of race or ethnicity. Carlo said that the difference in lasting effects for African American children was likely the result of frequent, harsh actions taken towards them.

Carole Lieberman, author of "Lions and Tigers and Terrorists, Oh My!, How To Protect Your Child In A Time Of Terror," believes that you should never discipline your child physically. She wonders if the parents from European backgrounds might have lied about the harshness of the spankings they gave out. ,

She said that with each strike a child will feel a mix of emotional and physical pain that comes from the thought that their parent doesn't love them. According to her, the aggression noted later in life is due to their brain receiving messages or inadequacy from the spankings.

Carlo made it a point to explain that the study isn't saying that all kids who are exposed to physical discipline end up with a bad attitude. it just means that they are more susceptible to behavioral issues later on in life.

Carlo explained that the development of children is kind of like a puzzle where physical discipline is only one piece of the whole picture. It just so happens that this one piece can increase the likelihood of a negative attitude. Parents should decide carefully which forms of discipline they want to use on their children.

Instead of physical discipline, you could try using a timeout, talking to them about moral behavior, distracting them from what is causing them to misbehave, or even restricting privileges. Even though verbal punishment can leave lasting damage, it's important to remember that if you do it right a verbal reprimand can be a good way of chastising your child.

Professor Brian Johnson of the University of North Colorado says that while the negative effects of physical discipline have been known for quite some time, this new research has provided more proof that parents should find other ways to promote behavioral compliance.

All physical discipline methods such as spankings tend to lead to juvenile delinquency, low self-esteem, and increased aggression. It teaches kids that it's alright to be physically aggressive with others when you are angry.

Even though parents think that spankings lead to quick positive changes in behavior, Professor Johnson counters by explaining how the positive changes never last for long. Spankings will quickly alter behavior but in the end, it makes the kids very resentful, full of anger and hell-bent on getting revenge.