Moves to criminalize smacking may gain traction with the release of a new study that finds a direct link between the physical punishment of children and adult onset of mental illness. The study, published in the prestigious Pediatrics journal, looked at the link between physical punishment and mental disorders in more than 20,000 American adults aged 20 and over. The authors were interested in the psychological impact of physical discipline “in the absence of more severe child maltreatment (ie, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, exposure to intimate partner violence).” Taking into account socio-demographic variables and a family history of dysfunction, they found that “harsh physical punishment in the absence of child maltreatment is associated with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse/dependence, and personality disorders in a general population sample.”  READ MORE HERE

 
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