 |
||
|
|
|
|
EFFECTS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
This section will include references and summaries of key papers on research into the effects of corporal punishment. It is under construction.
The Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire is an independent research unit devoted to the study of family violence, through comprehensive literature reviews, new theories, and methodologically sound studies. Papers by Murray Straus, Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of FRL, are available on this site and also on his personal website.
Detailed review of meta-analyses of research by Elizabeth Thompson Gershoff
The most detailed review of research into the effects of parental corporal punishment has been published in the journal of the American Psychological Association. The author, Elizabeth Thompson Gershoff of Columbia University, presents the results of meta-analyses of the association between parental corporal punishment and 11 child behaviours and experiences. The author then presents a process- context model to explain how parental corporal punishment might cause particular child outcomes and considers alternative explanations. The paper concludes by identifying seven major remaining issues for future research. To download a PDF of the full text click here.
Canada; extensive research review issued 2004:
A Joint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth has been developed by a national coalition of organizations in Canada, facilitated by the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. For further details, including the full Joint Statement, an executive summary and an up to date list of organisations endorsing the Statement, please see www.cheo.on.ca/english/4220.shtml (English) and www.cheo.on.ca/francais/4220.shtml (French).
Based on an extensive review of research, the Joint Statement provides an overview of the developmental outcomes associated with the use of corporal punishment: "The evidence is clear and compelling - physical punishment of children and youth plays no useful role in their upbringing and poses only risks to their development. The conclusion is equally compelling - parents should be strongly encouraged to develop alternative and positive approaches to discipline".