Physical punishment and child outcomes : a narrative review of prospective studies Anja Heilmann, Anita Mehay, Richard G Watt, Yvonne Kelly, Joan E Durrant, Jillian van Turnhout and Elizabeth T Gersho
By: Heilmann, Anja
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Contributor(s): Mehay, Anita | Watt, Richard G | Kelly, Yvonne | Durrant, Joan E | van Turnhout, Jillian | Gershoff, Elizabeth T.
Material type: 
ArticleSeries: The Lancet.Publisher: The Lancet, 2021Subject(s): BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION | CHILD BEHAVIOUR | CHILDREN | CORPORAL PUNISHMENT | DISCIPLINE | PARENTING | PHYSICAL ABUSE | PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS | INTERNATIONALOnline resources: Click here to access online | Read CNN article (28/6/2021)
In:
The Lancet, 2021, Advance online publication, 28 June 2021Summary: Physical punishment is increasingly viewed as a form of violence that harms children. This narrative review summarises the findings of 69 prospective longitudinal studies to inform practitioners and policy makers about physical punishment’s outcomes. Our review identified seven key themes. First, physical punishment consistently predicts increases in child behaviour problems over time. Second, physical punishment is not associated with positive outcomes over time. Third, physical punishment increases the risk of involvement with child protective services. Fourth, the only evidence of children eliciting physical punishment is for externalising behaviour. Fifth, physical punishment predicts worsening behaviour over time in quasi-experimental studies. Sixth, associations between physical punishment and detrimental child outcomes are robust across child and parent characteristics. Finally, there is some evidence of a dose–response relationship. The consistency of these findings indicates that physical punishment is harmful to children and that policy remedies are warranted. (Authors' abstract). Record #7216
The Lancet, 2021, Advance online publication, 28 June 2021
Physical punishment is increasingly viewed as a form of violence that harms children. This narrative review summarises the findings of 69 prospective longitudinal studies to inform practitioners and policy makers about physical punishment’s outcomes. Our review identified seven key themes. First, physical punishment consistently predicts increases in child behaviour problems over time. Second, physical punishment is not associated with positive outcomes over time. Third, physical punishment increases the risk of involvement with child protective services. Fourth, the only evidence of children eliciting physical punishment is for externalising behaviour. Fifth, physical punishment predicts worsening behaviour over time in quasi-experimental studies. Sixth, associations between physical punishment and detrimental child outcomes are robust across child and parent characteristics. Finally, there is some evidence of a dose–response relationship. The consistency of these findings indicates that physical punishment is harmful to children and that policy remedies are warranted. (Authors' abstract). Record #7216
