Child Discipline Methods: Are Hitting And Spanking The Most Effective Forms Of Child Discipline? Parents Weigh In

It's common to come across parents who spank their children as a form of punishment. Some parents, however, believe that hitting children with their bare hands or with objects isn't an effective form of discipline.

A new survey conducted by Zero to Three, a parental education nonprofit, found that a quarter of parents with children under five years old spank their kids several times a week or more. About a fifth of parents admitted that they spank their children habitually, while 17 percent said they hit their kids using objects like a belt or a clothes hanger.

Does Spanking Work?

An in-depth examination of spanking, which was written by Denise Foley and published on Time, found that children who were regularly spanked by their parents "have lower IQs, are more aggressive, and are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol." Other studies found that spanking produces higher amounts of stress hormones, which incapacitates children when they're dealing with stressful situations.

Zero to Three's survey also found that more than 90 percent of the 2200 parents surveyed love parenting. However, more than 70 percent of them think discipline is the most difficult part out of bringing up children.

Claire Lerner, a child development specialist, said discipline goes beyond correcting a behavior. Its purpose should be to nurture and protect a kid as he/she grows up. According to Lerner, parents don't enjoy spanking their children, but they resort to it because they have no other choice or if they didn't know what other forms of punishment to use.

Miscommunication also occurs when parents have an incomplete understanding of a child's brain development. Forty-two percent of parents think toddlers start experiencing sadness and fear by the time they reach the age of one. Experts, however, said it begins as early as three to five months.

A child's capacity for sharing and taking turns, as well as controlling their emotions or stopping themselves from doing anything prohibited by their parents, start forming when he/she reaches three or four years old. When parents overestimate their child's self-control, problems can occur between communication.

Spanking Affects Mental Health

According to researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan, spanking can make children aggressive, anti-social, have low self-esteem and have cognitive problems. Spanking is also connected to mental health issues, CBS News reported.

Elizabeth T. Gershoff, the study's lead author, said some parents resort to spanking because they don't want their child to think they are a pushover. But Gershoff said there are other forms of discipline that are more effective like consistency, being a role model and establishing definite boundaries.