SHE's blog: "S.H.E."

Now researchers at Tulane University provide the strongest evidence yet against the use of spanking: of the nearly 2,500 youngsters in the study, those who were spanked more frequently at age 3 were more likely to be aggressive by age 5. The research supports earlier work on the pitfalls of corporal punishment, including a study by Duke University researchers that revealed that infants who were spanked at 12 months scored lower on cognitive tests at age 3.

"I'm excited by the idea that there is now some nice hard data that can back up clinicians when they share their caution with parents against using corporal punishment," says Dr. Jayne Singer, clinical director of the child and parent program at Children's Hospital Boston, who was not involved in the study.

Among the mothers who were studied, nearly half (45.6%) reported no spanking in the previous month; 27.9% reported spanking once or twice; and 26.5% reported spanking more than twice. Compared with children who were not hit, those who were spanked were more likely to be defiant, demand immediate satisfaction of their wants and needs, get frustrated easily, have temper tantrums and lash out physically against others.

Um U know, in my opinion spanking has nothing to do with a childs agrresive behavior. In this test, it were only mothers who did the spanking....and it makes you wonder why. Perhaps the fathers of theze kidz were no where to be found? Perhaps the fathers had aggrssive tendacies as well? I think they need to go back and research before concluding that spanking is such a horrid thing.

Perhaps the researchers themselves need a few good spankings.