Does this change your mind about spanking? Spanking can lower your child's
IQPosted Fri, Sep 25, 2009
POST A COMMENT ยป
Forget everything else you've ever read about spanking. All the
arguments about how ineffective it is or how it can damage the
relationship between you and your child, all the other arguments
against spanking you've heard 10,000 times before. Perhaps this brand
new research, showing that spanking can lower your child's IQ, will
change your mind about spanking once and for all.
Professor Murray Straus of the University of New Hampshire has
discovered that the traumatizing effects of spanking have a spillover
effect on IQ. Specifically, children who were spanked had lower IQs
than children who were not spanked. Straus is presenting the results of
his research at the 14th International Conference on Violence, Abuse,
and Trauma, in San Diego, California, today.
To conduct his research, Straus followed children in two different age
groups (ages two to four and ages five to nine). He looked at children
who were being spanked and children who were not being spanked. He then
followed up to see how all of the children were doing four years later,
so that he could investigate any differences between being spanking
versus not being spanking.
Here's what he found:
The IQ scores of children ages two to four who were spanked were 5
points lower four years later than children who were not spanked.
The IQ scores of children ages five to nine who were spanked were 2.8
points lower four years later than children who were not spanked.
How often parents spanked their children also made a difference in how
well the children were doing. Children who were spanked frequently were
developing more slowly than children who were spanked less frequently.
Even occasional spankings had a measurable impact on child development.
According to Straus, being spanked is extremely stressful and can
become a chronic source of stress for young children. They may
experience post-traumatic stress symptoms such as being afraid that
terrible things are about to happen and being easily startled. These
symptoms are associated with lower IQ.
Straus' findings are already attracting considerable online buzz and
the study is likely to be cited in future by the most respected global
health and child protection authorities. The United Nations has urged
all member states to pass laws making violence against children,
including corporal punishment, illegal. Many have done so, but Canada
has not.
So what's your take?
Does this latest study change your thinking about spanking?
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"shiagroup" group.
To post to this group, send email to shiagroup@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
shiagroup+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/shiagroup?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
