Copyright Los Angeles Times Wednesday, August 20, 1997
Families: Children's advocates are pushing for an end to corporal punishment, including in the home. Some even say it should be illegal.
By SHARI ROAN, Times Health Writer
CHICAGO--After a semi-successful 20-year movement to ban spanking in public schools, some child health advocates say it's time to seek an end to corporal punishment at home. Describing themselves as part of a "cultural war," several members of the American Psychological assn.--meeting here for its annual convention--say they are encouraging the organization to draft a policy statement denouncing corporal punishment of children in all situations. Even more controversial is the suggestion by some child advocates that it's time for lawmakers to consider making it illegal for adults to strike children. "It is time for APA to consider developing policy toward the issue of parental spanking. Other organizations have already begun the debate," said one of the most vocal critics of spanking, psychologist Irwin A. Hyman. Moreover, he added: "Advocates should begin a concerted effort to move legislatures to begin thinking about laws which would make it illegal to hit children in any setting, including the home. While this may seem like pie in the sky thinking to many Americans, I believe that I and my colleagues . . . have gathered enough scientific data and cross-cultural comparisons to suggest that this type of effort may eventually pay off." In 1974, the APA joined several other national organizations in passing resolutions against corporal punishment in schools. Since then, 27 states--including California--have banned school paddling. In the early '70s, efforts to revoke corporal punishment in schools were considered bold, said Hyman, author of the book "The Case Against Spanking" (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1997). "[It] was considered by so many to be so controversial and out of sync with the public's beliefs," he said. Clearly, attitudes have shifted significantly regarding corporal punishment in schools, with only a large bloc of Southern states refusing to enact state laws. And studies show that fewer parents than before think spanking at home is a good idea. According to psychologist Murray Straus of the University of New Hampshire, 94% of Americans surveyed in 1968 thought it was sometimes necessary to give a child "a good spanking." But 67% of Americans agreed with that statement in a 1995 survey. "Two-thirds of Americans still agree with that [statement]. But in a historical perspective, that is still a lightning-fast change from 1968. We're in a state of transition to a more humane method of child rearing," Straus said. Nevertheless, it is far from certain that Americans are heeding the advice from experts who are increasingly saying "spare the rod."
Spanking is commonplace in many American homes even though there is evidence that parents are deeply conflicted about it, experts say. Even a 1994 survey of psychologists found that while 75% of the respondents opposed spanking and 55% believed it to be an abusive act, 48% reported having spanked their children. The topic is so sensitive that the American Academy of Pediatrics last fall was forced to clarify its position after it published a paper that downplayed the negative consequences of physical punishments. Some media organizations erroneously reported that the AAP was thus reconsidering the merits of corporal punishment. The AAP is in the process of drafting a new statement on "effective discipline" but says of its current policy: "The academy position is that alternatives to physical punishment are preferable means of discipline. . . . Spanking may relieve a parent's frustration for the moment and extinguish the undesirable behavior for a brief time. But it is the least effective way to discipline." While studies show that many parents' beliefs on spanking are dictated by what they experienced as a child (such as "I was spanked, but I turned out OK"), professional groups are looking closely at the scientific data on the repercussions of corporal punishment. And even that is not very helpful. According to the report last year by the American Academy of Pediatrics, researcher Robert E. Larzelere's analysis of 11 studies on spanking showed that six had beneficial child outcomes, four had neutral outcomes and only one showed a detrimental effect on the child. Another analysis of studies on spankings that were non-abusive (not causing bruises or other injuries), administered only to 2- to 6-year-olds and used only as a backup when nonphysical discipline techniques failed, also found largely beneficial effects. "This whole field needs to look at these studies more carefully," said Larzelere, of Boys Town, Neb. "Premature advocacy muddles science." But research presented at Monday's American Psychological assn. symposium on spanking suggested numerous deleterious effects. For example, an ongoing study launched in 1975 has found that children who are spanked have higher rates of behavioral problems and are more likely as adults to have problems with interpersonal relationships, said Pat Cohen of the New York Psychiatric Institute in New York City, who has followed the children into adulthood and is now observing how they treat their offspring. In addition, Cohen said, parents who spank also tend to exhibit more coercive parenting techniques, such as screaming, making threats and withdrawing love. "There is no scientific validation in defense of spanking," she said. "It is often a sign that parents do not have the skills to parent effectively or at least temporarily cannot apply their skills due to overwhelming problems." And, according to research by Straus, of the Family Research Lab at the University of New Hampshire, the more corporal punishment a child experiences, the greater the probability of the child exhibiting aggressive behavior. Perhaps the strongest reason not to spank, said Straus and others, is that much better disciplinary techniques can be used instead. Popular nonphysical techniques include giving the child a "timeout," ignoring mild misbehavior and distracting the child with another activity. Popular nonphysical techniques include giving the child a "timeout," ignoring mild misbehavior and distracting the child with another activity. History tends to show that parents will adhere to admonitions not to spank, Hyman said. For instance, a law was passed in Sweden in 1979 forbidding spanking even though it was a fairly common practice at that time. The law did not carry any penalties and was considered largely symbolic. But surveys show the vast majority of Swedes now believe that children should be raised without corporal punishment. Scads of research, however, may not be enough to topple attitudes "deeply rooted in the American psyche," Hyman said. "We believe, based on comparative research, that America is the most punitive of Western democracies," he said. "We believe that the whole issue of corporal punishment has been framed incorrectly. . . . Since we have always used corporal punishment, we assume that it is natural to continue using it."