Canadian researchers, publishing today in the journal Pediatrics, find that physical punishment such as spanking is associated with an increased risk of mental disorders. Acknowledging that the study could not prove a causal link, study author Tracie Afifi asserted that the statistical relationship is clear. Though legal in the U.S. and Canada, spanking has been outlawed in more than 30 countries.
Related Items:
Can spanking cause mental illness?
Study: Spanking may increase risk of mental illness
Being spanked in childhood linked with adult mental illness, study suggests
Study links physical punishment to later mental disorders
Hitting, slapping tied to later mental disorders
Study shows spanking boosts odds of mental illness
Spanking Batters Kids’ Mental Health: Study
Being Hit As a Child Linked To Adult Mental Illness