As you know, I truly enjoy reporting positive and healing medical information for you, dear reader.
And that is the plan for the next 7 weeks, as I walk you through your Chakras from a medical point of view and give you great ideas for supporting your inner healing.
But today… I’m sitting here with a knot in my stomach and here’s why. Please consider helping me spread this news:
There was a study recently published in Pediatrics (on July 2, 2012) looking at spanking and other forms of physical punishment.
As makes common sense, there have been many many studies that show the incidence of mental illness is significantly increased for an adult if that person was the victim of physical abuse as a child.
For example if the child had been neglected, witnessed the physical abuse of a parent, or suffered from emotional, sexual or physical abuse directly… they have a much higher chance of developing a mental disorder as an adult. Understandably so.
What the investigators of this latest study wanted to know is: does spanking increase a child’s chance of becoming mentally ill as an adult. It is known that abuse will… but would spanking alone do this?
Are children who are spanked or punished physically in any way (slapping, pushing, grabbing, shoving, hitting or spanking) but WITHOUT any form of maltreatment… only physical discipline alone... at an increased chance of developing mental illness as an adult?
For the purposes of this study, spanking and other socially acceptable forms of physical discipline was not considered maltreatment…
although after you read the results of this study, it is my hope that you will begin to consider that it leads to similar results as other forms of abuse.
The reason this study is important, is that while physical punishment is uncommon and even illegal in other parts of the world, in North America it is a common form of punishment throughout the United States and Canada.
Physical discipline is used in roughly half of our homes (49%). So yep, most likely one out of every two of your friends are using physical punishment on their own children.
These researchers looked at over 34,000 adults in the United States, and put the study through very rigid parameters.
Even though almost half of the population uses physical punishment, by the time they included all those who met the criteria for being physically disciplined at least “sometimes”, yet excluded all those who were exposed to abuse (emotional, sexual, physical, neglect, or witnessing spousal abuse) there was only 6% of the population left (about 2,000) that fit the narrow inclusion criteria.
Of this these study participants, it was found that physical discipline alone, in the complete absence of any abuse or maltreatment, caused:
- 50% more mood disorders (like depression or mania)
- 40% more anxiety disorders (like panic, phobias, and PTSD)
- 60% more alcohol and drug dependence
- 30 -50% more personality disorders across the board
Yuck. Although the numbers were small (a 50% increase in mood disorders in a 6% population only shifts it’s prevalence by a few percentage points) the fact is that JUST PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT ALONE, in an otherwise normal and supportive family, SIGNIFICANTLY increases the chance of developing a mental disorder as an adult.
So you can see why I feel a bit sick over here.
Parenting is difficult. And one out of two of us have been physically disciplined when we were children, by well-meaning adults. Many adults who have had our the best intentions at heart. And many parents right now are innocently doing the same that was done to them. But now that we know better, we can do better.
This article proves beyond a shadow of any doubt that all forms of physical punishment are forms of mental abuse, increasing the likelihood of a serious mental disorder by the time that child grows into an adult by up to 60%.
Completely independent of any other form of child maltreatment.
I admire the 32 countries that have banned childhood physical punishment.
With your help in understanding the impact these socially acceptable forms of physical punishment (like spanking or grabbing) I am hopefully that we can educate ourselves and our loved ones about other ways to interact with our children, even when our buttons are being pushed.
It is possible to never spank a child.
And because I would never ever ever want to present something upsetting without offering lots of solutions… here are my very fav parenting books and free resources that help trouble shoot and problem solve in positive and healthy ways.
Ways that will make it less likely that a precious child will suffer from mental illness needlessly.
MY FAV PARENTING BOOKS EVER:
1. Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Myla Kabat-zinn and Jon Kabat-Zinn – the first mindful parenting book I ever read and perhaps still my favorite… great food for thought for raising children all the way up through the teen years and beyond…
2. Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen PhD — thank you Gigi for sharing this amazing book with me… good for both older and younger children, it is a great reminder of why one of the best ways to resolve conflict is through PLAY!
3. Busy But Balanced by Mimi Doe — I enjoy the book (little ideas on easy ways to reconnect with your children despite super busy lifestyles… great for working moms) but actually appreciate the free monthly newsletter even more — click the link to hop over to her website and sign up!
4. Connection Parenting: Parenting Through Connection Instead of Coercion, Through Love Instead of Fear, 2nd Edition by Pam Leo — great problem solving advice from the perspective of reconnecting with your child as a natural means to solve conflict.
5. Heart Centered Parenting by Laura Koniver, MD — well you know it’s my fav because it’s all the best things I’ve learned about parenting, both as a physician and a mom, all in one instantly accessible ebook! Not only general parenting advice but also with an additional focus on how to tackle health obstacles with children in a fun, hands-on, interactive way. Parenting is the single best thing I’ve ever done in my life… and here is the inside scoop on how I do it!
6. Enjoy Parenting by Scott Noelle — not a book but rather a free daily parenting email that helps get your day started on the right foot, release struggles and move into the day with clarity. Pop on over and sign up for free!
Please share this important study finding and also this awesome list of parenting resources with all the mothers and fathers out there that you know and love.
And I’ll see you here next week to begin the exciting physician-approved run down of our body from head to toe!!!
Get the inside scoop on how I help patients approach each chakra for maximum health and healing!
xoxo, Laura
Thank you so much for posting this. Coming from Europe, I was shocked how legitimate spanking is here in the US. The article makes total sense. Technically, spanking is the same thing as hitting someone, it’s just another word for it. The action is the same. You wouldn’t hit your spouse, nor your mom, or good friends, even though they push your bottons and could us some discipline; you usually try to solve the conflict in other ways. That should be the same with your children. I absolutely disagree with using one’s superior physical strength to intimidate a child. You don’t want your child to fear you, but instead trust and rely on you! Cutting out the spanking just takes a lot more creativity, bond to your child, and patience, but I am positive that most parents could get there. I hope this article will help a lot of parents out there to find alternatives for disciplining their children!
Thank you Elaina, so much for your comment!!! Love your experience and the contrast between countries… I truly appreciate you sharing that and the extra encouragement to parents to find a new way to relate to their children!! xxoxoxox
Dr. Koniver,
Some days I wonder if we’ll EVER fully move away from that. Other days, like today, when I read THIS and see the movement sweeping the nation to STOP ABUSE, I have hope. I have HOPE. <3 <3 <3
Thank you SO much for spreading the word on this. I am SHOCKED when I hear how MANY seemingly good people still hit their children. It just seems so ACCEPTED in many parts of the country.
Thanks for the comment Nikki… I love your thoughts on having hope, and I feel the same. Love to you… xoxo
Socially acceptable violence is still violence.
I appreciate your post and the energy with which you approach this subject. It is very sad to me that this subject is still controversial in the U.S. because many people in this country (49%, apparently) don’t yet understand the the consequences of violence in their own lives. I gain perspective by remembering that while America has grown up a lot recently by banning smoking all over the country, many developing countries are still havens of this destructive behavior. I could say that socially acceptable violence is to the U.S. what socially acceptable smoking is in other countries. We all have our blind spots.
I feel that with energy and attention–such as yours in this post and in your life–invested in this issue, America is coming to the light regarding the reality of socially acceptable violence.
Hi Bhakti! I LOVE your analogy and never thought of it that way but you are so right! Just as smoking is falling out of favor the more we understand it’s health effects… so can spanking. That gives me joy to think that in the next generation physical punishment may be phased out and one day… a non-issue altogether. Great thought and I truly appreciate the positive energy!!!! xoxoxoxxo to you!
Interesting. I was physically punished as a child, and I do have a mood disorder and an anxiety disorder. When I had my son, I vowed I’d never do that to him–not because I’d linked it to mental illness, but just because I didn’t want him to be afraid of me. As he’s gotten older, we’ve observed that he’s a very sensitive child, and I’m sure that physical punishment would be permanently damaging to him.
Hi Andrea!!! Thank you so much for your comment… and for sharing your story. Good for you to break the cycle of abuse — that is huge and as you can see, totally life changing for your son. You have protected him even when you were not protected as a child and there is only one way to describe that type of strength: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Lucky son, beautiful mother. Bravo and thank you so much for leaving a comment!!! xoxox