Sounds like the latest piece of junk science to me and I'm one who has rarely had call to spank one of my children.  But I have on occasion

I'd have to see the original study. It certainly had a lot of participants. I am against spanking children. As a former Social Worker I realized that (in my opinion) it does stop bad behavior because the child gets scared. It also teaches kids that hitting is alright. Again just my 2 cents.

As a mental health therapist who specializes in children and adolescents, I'd have to agree with Jo.  I just saw that study, and a week prior to that, another was one was published linking spanking with increased aggression in toddlers.  I was spanked as a kid (my mother even had a short-handled wooden spoon for her fancy church purse and wasn't afraid to use it!) and have done alright for myself.  However, both studies appear to be reputable and reproducible, which is a hallmark of good research.

It stands to reason that any form of violence is going to desensitize kids to the fact that aggressive behaviors are not OK.  Fear (which is the common denominator between spanking and PTSD) causes a reaction called "fight or flight" and if you freeze up when you're afraid and can't identify any solutions to feeling safe again, it makes sense that you may have slowed thought processes. 

I don't necessarily agree that spanking caues PTSD...Spanking does not equate with abuse, which DEFINITELY can cause PTSD.  However, spanking does cause fear, and all too often, parents spank for the wrong reason...becuase they're angry.  And when you're angry and hitting a child, they don't know that you can pull yourself back...they just know you're mad and smacking them, which is frightening.  The whole point of discipline is to correct behaviors that are not desirable and get the child to change them to a more positive behavior.  If they learn from their early childhood years that hitting is a way to change things, they're going to purpetuate that.

I could see where if you spank your kids everyday that could harm them but I think a little pop on the leg or hand sometimes will not do any real damage. My son is 6 and he gets a slap every now and again not often though. He was just recently tested to be in the gifted program. I think it's just about how you handle it. Like dmlichnerwicz said she was spanked and turned out fine.

 I think I would like to know more about the children they are studying. In the study it says that economic status also underlies spanking practices and IQ. One would assume that children that come from a less financially stable home would already have a disadvantage in IQ scores. So maybe it has more to do with the financial aspect than the spanking.

And I do agree that lots of parents hit their children out of anger which is wrong.

Both my husband and I were spanked and we are fine. That said, we don't spank our kids and don't believe in it. There are way more effective ways to discipline children.  I agree with Jo and dmlich. I wanted to add that I spent many years as a preschool teacher on a military base and in private schools, so I have been around many different children from all backgrounds.  I have known very challenging kids that were hard to deal with, but there are a variety of ways to discipline and redirect that don't involve shame or fear or spanking. That is not to say I haven't felt like spanking!!!! 

dovey said…

Both my husband and I were spanked and we are fine. That said, we don't spank our kids and don't believe in it. There are way more effective ways to discipline children.  I agree with Jo and dmlich. I wanted to add that I spent many years as a preschool teacher on a military base and in private schools, so I have been around many different children from all backgrounds.  I have known very challenging kids that were hard to deal with, but there are a variety of ways to discipline and redirect that don't involve shame or fear or spanking. That is not to say I haven't felt like spanking!!!! 

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LOL!  Agreed...my DH and I don't have kids yet but don't plan on using corporal punishment.  That being said, even the two cats I have make me want to pop them on the butt now and then!

I think a big piece of discipline, whether you choose to spank or not, is being consistent, making sure the child understands what they did wrong, and giving them alternatives.  Time outs, loss of privileges, extra chores, etc. can all be appropriate teaching tools if you start a kid out young enough and provide redirection consistently so they know exactly what is expected of them and what the consequences will be if they don't follow the rules.  Non-violent ways of teaching are more effective than spanking if you make sure the child understand what's going on first!

I was spanked as a child and had wooden spoons broken on my butt! I've turned out just fine.  I still registered in genius level IQ and have managed to hold down a steady job, get married, buy a house, etc.  Heck, I even push the limits by running a cat/dog rescue out of my home!

I deal with the "non-violent, non-spanking" results of today's parenting where they want to be their friends rather than role models.  Some will grow up to be wonderful adults.  Others will be so spoiled and unaccountable for anything in their lives that they won't stand a chance once they go off to college. 

I totally believe in "spare the rod and spoil the child".  My mother may have taken it to the extreme at times but it certainly did make me think twice before talking back to my parents!

If that was true, I'd have a negative IQ. BUT I don't think spanking is the answer and it bothers me when I see a parent spank a child. I spanked my son a total of once. I remember it so well. I was pregnant and all hormonal. He was BAD as a kid. (He was the wildest little sob you ever saw! He'll admit it!) and was trying to make me crazy doing things like tossing all my carefully sorted coupons all over, squirting me with a water bottle, playing with a power cord, anything to get a rise out of me. He did about 10 things in a row that were really naughty and purposeful and I warned him 9 of the times. The tenth time, I went to give him a spanking on the butt. He slid away and I spanked him on the lower back. Lightly but still.

I never touched him again. And never once laid a hand on my younger son. I would never touch a grandchild when the time comes either. Even if I had just gotten my son's butt, it's all so wrong to hit to stop a behavior. We had to unwind our son and do some behavioral things to get him to stop being soooo out of control and it worked. He's now 23, my best friend, and works right here behind the scenes as well as does many other things. His IQ is fine so that one spanking didn't hurt it.

At any rate, I don't believe that spanking is related to IQ since my father was a slapper, hitter, pusher, etc. and I have a decent IQ and never suffered from any learning issues. OTHER issues, yes, but none IQ related.

Not spanking does not equal spoiling. I am not my kids buddy, I am the mom. We have rules and standards of behavior and consequences, we just don't spank. That is not one of our consequences. Some people over reason with their kids and try to be a good guy, want to be liked above all else. We have all been around a parent who talks to their child in that false, forced cheerful voice trying to reason why they need to stay in their seat or not pull things off a shelf etc. I find that so annoying.  One time my then 2 yr old was misbehaving in the store, I said you do that again and we leave. She did and we did. I had a pretty full cart and left.  She never acted up in the store again.

Patty, I can just see that happening and your boy is so lucky he had you for a mom!

Some desensitization (if that's even a word.. I don't know.. my I.Q. apparantly is lower than some) and brain cell damage, in addition to very low self esteem could combine to lower I.Q. I suppose and this I guess could be caused by spanking but I would think it would have to be pretty severe and pretty frequent.

They say that curiosity raises the IQ. If aversion, specifically aversion to physical punishment, is the opposite of curiosity, then this lends credence to the assertion that spanking lowers IQ.

I agree with Rudi, the study sounds like junk science.  I was spanked as a child as were my brothers and sister, as well as many of our peers, and we are all successful for the most part.  My I.Q. has not suffered a wit, I am not an aggressive man (far from it) and I do not suffer from PTSD.  This study ranks right up there with the male circumcision scaring babies for life debate. 

I have (4) children and I spanked when needed, but never spanked my youngest, she didn't need it.  And spanking ended when the age of reason (say around 10 years) made it necessary to talk rather than spank.  But, every child is different, some with respond to spanking, others will not.  I do not believe that you can reason with a child under a certain age; i.e. timeouts and lengthy explanations on why Johnny shouldn't do such-and-such do not work as effectively as sure and swift action designed to show the child who is in charge, and what will and will not be tolerated. 

Even though I was spanked as a child, I still abhor violence and never visited it upon my fellows unless they really asked for it!

BTW, a healthy dose of fear, of you the parent, in a child is a good thing!

I can't see how getting a spanking would kill brain cells or alter the brain's ability to comprehend and retain.

That said, I don't spank my nieces or nephews. I take their dramatic mood change to be a sign they're tired and I send them to bed to rest without TV until they feel better and can behave better. It's amazing how quickly they transform.

I was knocked around pretty good as a child and I feel fine. Having said that, I don't see where spanking is really effective unless it's with a belt. That is child abuse to me.  Taking things away has always gotten me results. 

njchicaa said…

I totally believe in "spare the rod and spoil the child".  My mother may have taken it to the extreme at times but it certainly did make me think twice before talking back to my parents!

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Just as a quick note..."spare the rod and spoil the child" is a quote that is often misunderstood.  It's a Biblical phrase that refers to a shepherd's rod being used in discipline.  However, shepherds didn't use a rod to beat or strike (or spank) their herds...it was used in two ways: first to prod them to stay on the path the shepherd wanted them to follow and second, the crook at the end was used to fish them out of places when they fell into crevices or holes.  Discipline serves the same purposes, to  keep children on the straight and narrow (so to speak) and to pull them out of bad situations they get themselves into so they don't fall in "holes" again.  Fortunately, there are enough non-spanking means of disciplining kids that no one really needs to resort to corporal punishment to get those purposes accomplished.

I definitely agree, we make what we want of ourselves.  A child who is abused has the chance of growing up to be an abuser, or they can choose to be productive adults with healthy famililes.  Spanking doesn't necessarily mean kids will grow up to be abusers OR spoiled if they're not.  As long as kids are given the appropriate limits from the get-go, they'll turn out all right if they choose to make the right decisions on their own as they age.

Well said!!  And thank you for the Bible lesson! :-)

Did this study test the IQ of the parents? I'm not implying that only low IQ people spank their kids, but quantifying human behavior is a very difficult and soft science. Variables in human beings are myriad, and sometimes so subtle as to be impossible to pin down. This kind of study always makes me laugh, because there can be ten studies on the same thing, with the same subjects, with ten different conclusions drawn.

To try to glean information from a study of such a tiny slice of the world's population is ludicrous! There are nearly Seven Billion human beings on this planet. They tested around a thousand kids. It's laughable.

Not to mention the fact that IQ is an arbitrary and inaccurate measurement system. There are many many scientists who attest that IQ is irrelevant after age 12. Also, the results of IQ tests over the past decade have increased exponentially, yet people aren't actually getting smarter. They're just getting better at taking IQ tests.

So, to me, this study is another in the long, long line of studies based on ephemeral and dicey data, executed with a slant toward a predetermined outcome, and held up by those with an agenda as evidence that their opinion is  valid. Spanking is an option, and its necessity depends entirely on the parent and the child and their very specific situation.

I don't like to spank, but the lack of respect and constant refusal of doing what one is told comes down to give my children a spank or too. I find taking things away and time out just done get the message across. I ignore alot of the tempermental lash outs and use words of childhood experiences to warn them fairly that I am the boss and will take measures of corpral punishment if they do not comply. Usually they wise up.

Very good points CloudNine!

Just my 2 cents in here.  I too was raised on spankings and doing fine.  My husband was raised with spankings and doing fine.  My opinion is that spankings have gotten a bad rap.  I feel that if you do not know the difference in spanking a child and beating a child then PLEASE do not touch a child.  I feel that a pop on the rear gets their attention.  For my home, spanking is total last result.  After nothing else has worked, then I do believe in a pop to get their attention.  I am not talking popping a child over and over again.  I feel one to two pops for whatever they have done and nothing else has worked, I don't see nothing wrong with it.  I have seen parents take spankings too far, and then I have been asked "do you think that was excessive"?  If you feel you have to ask then yes.  Here again, don't take spankings out of context.  I feel that is one thing wrong with kids today is because they KNOW they will not have any real consequence.  I have a biological daughter that is wonderful and she is friends as well with me and her dad.  Then, I have a daughter that I was given legal custody of at age 7 - no relation to - and this child was TAUGHT how to steal, lie and disrespect ALL others.  We have had her 2 years and NO CONSEQUENCE even phases her.  So, where we are all making our mistake is we try and bundle all kids as being the same.  Every child is totally different and different disciplinary actions may be necessary.

A rare spanking followed by a show of love and concern can be instructive and reassuring to a child.

On the other hand I have seen parents verbally abuse their children in public to a point where I can't imagine the episode not leaving deep scars that will be carried for the rest of their lives.