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 | They strongly recommend against the use of physical punishment as a form of child discipline. Spanking might make the parent less frustrated; it might cause the child to stop an undesirable behavior. But they regard it as "...the least effective way to discipline." 1 | ||||||||||
| In their book "Caring for Your School-Age
Child: Ages 5 to 12, " they suggest that spanking:
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| In their "Tips for a Healthier New Year" news release they suggest that parents "Prevent violence by setting good examples: Hitting, slapping and spanking teaches children that it is acceptable to hit other people to solve problems. Non-physical forms of discipline work better in the long run. Remember that words can hurt too." 3 | ||||||||||
| In their policy statement: "Guidance for
Effective Discipline," they define spanking as: "striking a
child with an open hand on the buttocks or extremities with the
intention of modifying behavior without causing physical injury."
Other methods of corporal punishment, including striking a child with a rod, belt, or other object
are "...unacceptable and may be
dangerous to the health and well-being of the child." They suggest that the effectiveness of spanking as a method of disciplining a child diminishes over time. The only way to maintain its effectiveness is to increase the level of the pain inflicted. This can rapidly escalate into abuse. They suggest that:
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Positions taken by members of the Academy:
Between 1997-OCT and 1998-MAR, the Academy conduced a mail survey to 1,629 active members, selected at random from their membership lists. They obtained a response rate of 62% which is unusually high for this type of survey. "The survey defined corporal punishment as 'the use of spanking as a form of discipline. It does not include hitting, beating or other actions that might be considered child abuse'." 5
Results were:
| 31.4% were completely opposed to the use of corporal punishment. |
| 53.4% generally oppose corporal punishment, but feel that an occasional spanking under certain circumstances can be effective. |
| 13.6% favor the limited use of corporal punishment. |
| 1.5% were unsure. |
When asked whether "Pediatricians must try to eliminate the practice of spanking as a form of discipline:"
| 50% agreed |
| 30% disagreed |
| 20% were unsure. 4 |
When asked about their methods of disciplining their own children:
| 35% used spanking as one form of discipline. |
| Fewer than 1% said that spanking was their most common disciplinary technique. 5 |
Additional information:
Entering the search word spanking into search engine of the AAP's web site at http://www.aap.org returned 52 results as of 2005-JUL-03. Some of them link to interesting reports on long term studies of the relationship between spanking and behavioral problems later in life.
References used:
- "Physical Punishment," American Academy of Pediatrics, at: http://www.aap.org/
- Edward Schor, "The Complete and Authoritative Guide: Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 5 to 12," Bantam, (1995; revised 1999). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
- "Tips for a healthier new year," AAP, undated, at: http://www.aap.org/
- Policy Statement: Guidance for Effective Discipline," Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, Pediatrics, Vol 101, #4, 1988-APR-4. Online at: http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/ This policy was reaffirmed on 2004-OCT.
- "Periodic Survey of Fellows. AAP survey on corporal punishment reveals divergent views," Division of Child Health Research, AAP, at: http://www.aap.org/
Copyright © 2005 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Original posting: 2005-JUL-03
Latest update: 2005-JUL-03
Author: B.A. Robinson
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