Abstract
Parents' use of spanking to punish child misbehavior is replete with controversy despite ample evidence that spanking can lead to harmful outcomes,1 such as increasing child aggressive and externalizing behavior,2-4 internalizing mental health problems,5,6 and compromised brain development.1,7 Empirical conclusions about the effects of spanking are no longer derived from weak cross-sectional, correlational research designs. Studies now use rigorous research designs that approximate experiments,2,4 account for children's initial levels of behavior problems to demonstrate increases in these problems after spanking,5,6,8 and control for a wide range of potential demographic qualities3,5,9—all of these research designs reveal that parental spanking can produce negative effects.
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