Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses.

2016/01/01 by Elizabeth T. Gershoff, Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, Andrew Grogan‐Kaylor · 5 citations
Health Professions · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Child Abuse and Trauma #Child Welfare and Adoption #Homelessness and Social Issues

paper · doi:10.1037/fam0000191

openalex publication_date 2016/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

Whether spanking is helpful or harmful to children continues to be the source of considerable debate among both researchers and the public. This article addresses 2 persistent issues, namely whether effect sizes for spanking are distinct from those for physical abuse, and whether effect sizes for spanking are robust to study design differences. Meta-analyses focused specifically on spanking were conducted on a total of 111 unique effect sizes representing 160,927 children. Thirteen of 17 mean effect sizes were significantly different from zero and all indicated a link between spanking and increased risk for detrimental child outcomes. Effect sizes did not substantially differ between spanking and physical abuse or by study design characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record

Citations

• Introduction to Meta‐Analysis
• Parental physical and psychological aggression: Psychological symptoms in young adults
• Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences

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