physical punishment affect a child

physical punishment affect a child. While most of the Western world has abandoned corporal punishment and spanking of children, there is still considerable support in the United States, especially among conservative Protestants, for the idea that spanking is not only tolerable but also necessary for moral learning (Ellison & Sherkat, 1993). Most families use physical punishment with toddlers, and, while it declines with older children, nearly one-half of early adolescents in the United States experience corporal punishment from a parent (Turner & Finkelhor, 1996). Depression and other psychological distress is associated with teenagers experiencing such punishment. Straus (1994, 2001) presents both research and theoretical argument to refute this practice’s efficacy and to show its link to later problems.