The old adage, "Spare the rod and spoil the child," may seem outdated today, but spanking is still a method of discipline used by many parents , experts say. A recent study conducted by Old Dominion University in Virginia suggests that spanking a child may have the opposite behavioral effect that parents desire, while also lowering the "social competency" of a child.
The study, authored by Dr. In the study, Kang examined data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of , a study of children from across the United States who were enrolled in kindergarten in the fall of Children in the study were tracked to elementary school for various social and educational outcomes, the website for the National Center for Education Statistics notes.
Kang found that a "lifetime experience of spanking by age 5 was associated with higher externalizing behaviors at ages 6 and 7, and with lower self-control and interpersonal skills at age 6. These children, too, had "higher externalizing behaviors, lower self-control and lower interpersonal skills at ages 6 and 7.
Kang also noted in the study, "Many parents use spanking due to a belief that it will reduce anti-social behaviors and promote positive comportment in their children. She added, however, that "parents should be aware that β¦ spanking may hinder their children's development of self-control and interpersonal skills and increase externalizing behaviors, even if used infrequently.
One man in his 60s in Salem, New Hampshire , said spanking was "the norm" when he was a child. An expert on child discipline told Fox News Digital that she was not surprised by the study's conclusions. Elizabeth Gershoff, professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, said that her own research came to similar conclusions as Kang's.
