Time out, extra chores and taking away privileges are more useful forms of disciplining naughty children than spanking or hitting. An estimated 94 percent of parents use some form of corporal punishment to teach their toddlers right from wrong. But psychologists say it could lead to later emotional and behavioural problems. Even children who are only smacked occasionally are more likely to show signs of depression or lower self-esteem. The key is consistency. Using something like corporal punishment that seems severe at best doesn't help and can put a child at risk for problems. The use of physical punishment to discipline children has long been controversial. In countries such as Austria, Finland, Germany and Sweden it is illegal to use corporal punishment at home or in schools. Researchers from the University of New Orleans in Louisiana, USA, studied the impact of corporal punishment on 98 children and couldn't find any positive effects. Some children learned more from the hitting aspect than what the parent was trying to teach them. The key is to have a lot of different forms of punishment depending on the age of the child. The researchers recommend 'time out' for younger children and taking away television and electronic toys for older youngsters. Giving extra chores can also get the message across. Other disciplinary measures are at least as effective as corporal punishment and have less harmful potential consequences. The researchers screened children whom they thought were at risk of later conduct problems and an equal number of other children who acted as a control group, to study what disciplinary measures would be most helpful. They questioned the parents and the children about positive and negative parenting behaviour including the use of corporal punishment. Children on the receiving end of a slap can learn that when they are upset and angry they hit, rather than understanding their behaviour was wrong and that they need to do better.
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology,
January 2007