The strength of the causal evidence against physical punishment of children and its implications for parents, psychologists, and policymakers
Department(s)
Social Science
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2018
Keywords
Causality, Discipline, Parenting, Physical punishment, Spanking
Abstract
The question of whether physical punishment is helpful or harmful to the development of children has been subject to hundreds of research studies over the past several decades. Yet whether causal conclusions can be drawn from this largely nonexperimental research and whether the conclusions generalize across contexts are issues that remain unresolved. In this article, the authors summarize the extent to which the empirical research on physical punishment meets accepted criteria for causal inference. They then review research demonstrating that physical punishment is linked with the same harms to children as is physical abuse and summarize the extant research that finds links between physical punishment and detrimental outcomes for children are consistent across cultural, family, and neighborhood contexts. The strength and consistency of the links between physical punishment and detrimental child outcomes lead the authors to recommend that parents should avoid physical punishment, psychologists should advise and advocate against it, and policymakers should develop means of educating the public about the harms of and alternatives to physical punishment.
Publication Title
American Psychologist
ISSN
0003066X
Volume
73
Issue
5
First Page
626
Last Page
638
DOI
10.1037/amp0000327
PubMed ID
29999352
Recommended Citation
Gershoff, Elizabeth T.; Goodman, Gail S.; Miller-Perrin, Cindy L.; Holden, George W.; Jackson, Yo; and Kazdin, Alan E., "The strength of the causal evidence against physical punishment of children and its implications for parents, psychologists, and policymakers" (2018). Pepperdine University, All Faculty Open Access Publications. Paper 85.
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/faculty_pubs/85