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Loading...Depressed Dads More Likely to Spank Babies
A study released today in the journal Pediatrics found that men diagnosed as depressed were much more likely to spank their one-year-old children than men who reported no depression symptoms. Nearly 40 percent of men with depression admitted to spanking their child in the last month, with only 13 percent of men with no depression admitting to spanking their child.
Researchers said the finding was particularly troubling since all children in the study were one year of age. At that age, children are more likely to be physically injured during a spanking and are less likely to understand why they are being spanked, making it less effective as a punishment and more likely to have negative impact on the child.
While many studies have been done on the impact of depression on mothers, depression in fathers is less well studied. The researchers stated that depression among fathers is strongly tied to unemployment rates, which are much higher now than a decade ago, he said. Depressed fathers were also less likely to read to their child. Reading to children has been shown to positively effect their ability and affinity for reading later in life.
While many North American parents believe that spanking is an acceptable form of discipline, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against spanking children, as it can lead to aggression in the child later in life. If you are interested in exploring non-corporal means of punishment for your child, there are many resources available both on the web and in print.
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Read more: Children, corporat punishment, depression, discipline, education, gentle discipline, sad dad, spanking
Photo credit: KellyB on Flickr
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+ add your ownI AGREE 100% WITH PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE ANY CORPORAL PUNISHMENT, GIVING OUR CHILDREN EQUAL PROTECTION WITH US ADULTS.
There are times when spanking is appropriate. Hitting never is!
Never spank while angry. And never spank a baby. Ever. While most children rarely need spankings at all, if any, some do, because they don't learn by withholding privileges, don't care about natural or logical consequences, and will just sit in time outs for as long as you put them. If none of those work?
Mind you, I am 100% against abusing anyone. There is a major difference between giving your child A spanking and beating your child.
Spanking is never education, it just makes a child/animal/etc. feel fear, not respect...
I believe in spanking when necessary, not every time a child acts up! Must be a danger to themselves or others.
spanking is NEVER appropriate and there is NO exuse for it. if you're a parent who has the urge to spank your child you need to put YOURSELF in a time-out until you can control yourself.
New Zealand banned spanking last year. There were deffinately a few issues, but over all the country seems to have settled into the change well.
Spanking's really a punishment for toddlers, and only when they wilfully defy a parent's orders. The sore bottom and momentary humiliation cuts through terrible-toddler hubris like nothing else. It's meant to communicate to the child that he or she is not the centre of the universe -- an important message to get across early.
After that stage of development, privilege suspension becomes a more appropriate punishment.
A BABYS' BODY IS NOT THE PLACE FOR AN ADULT TO TAKE OUT THEIR ANXIETY!! HURTING A CHILD WILL NOT RELIEVE THE ANXIETY, BUT ACTUALLY ADD TO IT!! INSTEAD, EXERCISE, MEDITATE, PEACE IS EVERY STEP!!
How can hitting a child to teach them things (like not to hit for example) work? It teaches a child to be AFRAID of doing wrong, instead of teaching them why something is wrong and kill the desire to do it. It shows the child that if you want someone to stop doing something, you hit them
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