Work

Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses.

Year: 2016

Type: article

Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis

Abstract: Whether spanking is helpful or harmful to children continues to be the source of considerable debate among both researchers and the public. This article addresses 2 persistent issues, namely whether effect sizes for spanking are distinct from those for physical abuse, and whether effect sizes for spanking are robust to study design differences. Meta-analyses focused specifically on spanking were conducted on a total of 111 unique effect sizes representing 160,927 children. Thirteen of 17 mean effect sizes were significantly different from zero and all indicated a link between spanking and increased risk for detrimental child outcomes. Effect sizes did not substantially differ between spanking and physical abuse or by study design characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record

Source: Journal of Family Psychology

DOI: 10.1037/fam0000191

Authors: Elizabeth T. Gershoff, Andrew Grogan-Kaylor

Institutions: The University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan

Language: English

Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development