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Spanking increases aggression in young children and is ineffective in teaching the child's self-control and responsibility, said Monday (November 5) the American Academy of Pediatrics in a political statement calling for the prohibition of corporal punishment.
The organization, which represents 64,000 pediatricians, said in its updated policy statement that "corporal punishment and verbal abuse can cause a child to fear in the short term, but does not improve his or her long-term behavior. term". Young children spanked more than twice a month at the age of 3 were more aggressive at the age of 5 years. These 9-year-olds still had negative behaviors, according to the AAP.
Research has also shown that hitting, screaming or embarrassing a child can elevate stress hormones and lead to changes in brain development, AAP said.
Should you spank your child? Here's what pediatricians have to say about it
According to experts, the right way to discipline a child depends on his age and temperament.
"The goal of the discipline is to teach, guide, educate and reinforce good behavior," said Dr. Catherine Taylor, director of the Institute of Violence Prevention at the Faculty of Health Public and Tropical Medicine Tulane University.
She recommends defining rules that are consistent for the child and age-appropriate, as well as redirecting tasks.
"Give them something to do if they focus on something you do not want them to do," she said.
Taylor was one of the authors of a study conducted in 2016 on the role of direct and indirect exposure to violence in a sample of children aged 5 to 15 years old from the large New Orleans area. The study found that even indirect exposure to violence during childhood can play a key role in the development of antisocial and aggressive behaviors in the child.
The AAP also recommends that paediatricians talk to parents about age-appropriate strategies for disciplining their children when they visit the office or referring them to community resources that provide more targeted or more intensive help.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides positive parenting advice that can help parents create a healthy structure and rules for their children.
"It will take a change of mindset for people to realize that this is real and will take time to get there," said Taylor. "Only when the Surgeon General published in the 1960s an important report detailing the harmful effects of smoking that people started to move away from this smoking. I think that there will be a similar tipping point around the spanking. "
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