Spankings tied to likelihood of child protective service visits

By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Parents who spank their babies are at greater risk of eventually having Child Protective Services called in to protect their kids than parents who do not spank, according to a new study. “A few other studies have shown that parents that spank their children are also more likely to engage in harsh physical punishment and abusive parenting behaviors,” said lead author Shawna J. Lee from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in Ann Arbor. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not endorse spanking for any reason, and suggests time-outs as an alternative. “The collective research over the past 20 years on spanking and physical punishment clearly indicates that hitting your child is related to a wide range of negative outcomes and hasn’t shown any benefit to the child,” said Tracie O. Afifi, who studies physical punishment at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.