Spanking Children Research Paper

Does spanking children lead to cognitive and behavioral problems?
Texas Southern University
PSY 433- Abnormal Psychology
Instructor: Dr. Arthur L. Whaley
Submitted: October 31, 2013

Running Head: spanking children and cognitive and behavioral problems

Introduction
Cognitive problems can be defined as having difficulties with thinking, learning and memory. Behavioral problems are symptomatic expression of emotional or interpersonal maladjustment in children. Spanking is typically defined as striking the child on the buttock or extremities with an open hand without inflicting physical injury the topic (McLoyd, Kaplan, Hardaway, &Wood, 2007 ). These characteristics found in children with cognitive
and behavioral problems meet the criteria for classification as an abnormal behavior. According to Sue et al. (2010) four major means of judging psychopathology (abnormal behavior), includes distress, deviance (bizarreness), dysfunction (inefficiency in behavioral, affective, and/or cognitive domains), and dangerousness (Sue, Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). Deviance criterion is met because 1-10 percent of children are affected by the conduct disorder. Distress criterion is met because children with cognitive and behavioral problem are frequently upset due to the company or lack or someone of something (social forces) in their lives. The criterion for dysfunction is met because as a child the only role that one have is to be a student. That role requires going to school, behaving, learning, and making good grades. If a student cognition and behavior is affected, they are not carrying out their role as a student. Dangerousness is being danger to self as well as others. The dangerousness criterion is not met in this instance but can be met over time if the issue isn’t handled the correct way. Abnormal behavior is the scientific study whose objectives are to describe, explain, predict, and control behavior that is considered to be strange or unusual (Sue, Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010).
Conduct Disorders can be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel for Mental Disorders (DSM). Conduct Disorder are characterized by often bullying and threatening others, lying, cheating, steals, often initiates fights, and violation of rules (Sue, Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). The question is asked: Does spanking children lead to cognitive and behavioral problems? The purpose of this paper is to conduct a critical analysis of the literature presented in order to answer the question raised. The steps to be taken to answer the question are (1) review the articles as they relate to the topic (Bodovski&Youn, 2010; Gershoff, Sexton, Davis-Kean & Sameroff, 2012; McLoyd, Kaplan, Hardaway, &Wood,2007; Whaley, 2000; (2) compare and contrast the different and how they significantly relate and contribute to the topic; 3) last but not lease arrive at a conclusion based on the articles strengths and weaknesses. My hypothesis is that children receiving spankings are not likely to have cognitive and behavioral problems. The next section conveys the review of the literature on the cognitive and behavior affects for
spanking.
Literature Review
As formerly mentioned, the four articles on effects spanking children cognitive and behavior will be reviewed. The works of Bodovski and Youn (2010), Gershoff et al. (2012), McLoyd et al. (2007), and Whaley (2000) serve as sources of information to determine whether spanking children lead to cognitive and behavioral problems. The first article by Bodovski and Youn (2010) is a study that measures family emotional climate during kindergarten year on three dimensions: parental depression, parental warmth, and the use of physical discipline. Fifth-grade achievement was measured by the end of the year math and reading scores on standardized test, as well as teacher’s judgment of the fifth grade behavior (approaches to learning, externalizing, and internalizing behavior problems). The data came from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K). The final analytical sample consists of 11,813 students in 2234 schools (Bodovski&Youn, 2010). The proportion of Blacks students increased (11-14%), the proportion of Hispanic students faintly decreased (from 19% to 17%). The proportion from families other than two biologically married parents increased from 24 to 28 percent. Higher family SES was associated with lower levels of parental depression. Single parents are more like to experience depressive symptoms but have high parental warmth. Black parents were most likely to be depressed, more likely to use physical discipline, but express more parental warmth compared to white parents. Bodovski and Youn (2010) found that physical discipline in kindergarten was associated with low math scores in the fifth grade (no racial differences were found).
Gershoff, Lansford, Sexton,Davis-Kean&Sameroff (2010) conducted a study that aimed to examine whether there are race/ethnic group differences in how each parent spank and the extent to which spanking is associated with children’s externalizing behaviors when examined in a large and nationally representative sample of American children. For the analyses reported, data was collected from spring waves of the kindergarten (1999) and third grade (2002). The sample included 11,044 children and families; 64% White (n=7,057), 19% Hispanic (n=2,096), 12% Black (n=1,352) and 5% Asian (539). Spanking was measured on a scale of 0 to 30 representing the amount of times mothers spanked their child/ren per week. Children externalizing behavior was measured on a scale of 1-4 (1 indicating never and 4 indicating most of the time) by teachers reporting how frequent the child does such things as argue, fight, or get angry. Other controlled variables measured includes: family income to needs, parent education, parents’ marital status, and parent employment status. 80% of in this study reported that they have spanked their child at some point and 27% reported spanking their kindergartner the week before the interview. Using large norms of representative American sample, Gershoff, Lansford, Sexton, Davis-Kean&Sameroff (2010) found that spanking is associated with externalizing behavior overtime. McLoyd, Kaplan, Hardaway & Wood (2007) examined weather maternal endorsement of physical discipline moderates the link between (a) maternal psychological distress and spanking frequency and (b) spanking frequency and child depressive symptoms. Deater-Dechard and Dodge (1997) positioned that when physical discipline is culturally normative, putatively the case among African Americans, it is likely to be associated with nurturing family relations and to be used in a controlled rather than the impulsive manner, which minimal expressions of anger. McLoyd Kaplan, Hardaway & Wood (2007) assumed and wanted to test and see if higher levels of maternal psychological distress would predict greater levels of spanking. The sample consisted of 890 African Americans reporting on 1,117 children the Child Development Supplement sample who participated in both 1997 and 2001. The variable being measured were child depressive symptoms (internalizing), maternal psychological distress (the main independent variable), and physical discipline. 61% of African American mothers endorsed discipline as a preferred response to child misbehavior. Nonendorsers’ use of physical discipline was linked to maternal psychological distress to a greater than the case for endorsers, despite the fact that endorsers and nonendorsers did not differ in the frequency with which they use physical discipline. McLoyd, Kaplan, Hardaway & Wood (2007) concluded that physical discipline is strongly associated with depressive symptoms, and that children of nonendorsing mothers are more likely to display these symptoms than children of endorsing mothers.
Whaley (2000) reviewed the sociocultural difference in the development consequences of the use of physical discipline during childhood for African Americans. In this article, Whaley (2000) review other experiments and the correlation between spanking and behavior. Cohen and Brook (1987) reported a positive relationship between power assertive punishment and behavior problems in a sample of 725 children in an 8-year longitudinal study of two upstate New York countries. Baumrind (1972) conducted one of the earliest studies; found that an authoritarian parenting style was not associated with negative behavioral outcomes for Black preschool children. Deater-Deckard, Dodge, Bates, and Pettit (1986) also did a study that consisted of 466 EA and 100 AA from various socioeconomic backgrounds from kindergarden to third grade to find the correlation between physical punishment and behaviors (they did interviews and use questionnaires). Teachers and peer found a positive correlation between externalizing behaviors and physical discipline for EA but not for AA. Whaley (2000) believed that physical punishment may be a protective factor against the development of child behavior problems in AA families. The positive correlation between physical discipline and disruptive disorders found in children found in research on EA doesn’t appear too generalizable to AA (Deater-Decker et al.1986; McLeod et al, 1994; Wasserman et al, 1996). Parents in the AA community (especially low income areas) may use authoritarian methods in attempts to protect their children from harmful social environments.
All of the articles reviewed agree that spanking is a part of the AA culture. Also all of the articles compared spanking (or physical discipline) and behavioral/cognitive outcomes of the African American culture to other cultures, especially European Americans. McLoyd et al (2007) and Whaley (2000) agreed that sociocultural factors determine the correlation between physical discipline and behavioral/cognitive problems in children. Bodovski&Youn( 2010) and Gershoff et al both agree that spanking was highly associated cognitive an behavioral problems in children for all race/ethnic groups. Bodovki and Youn (2010) was the only article correlated spanking with parental warmth. As a result AA mothers spanked more but showed more parental warmth, and Asians spanked less and showed less parental warmth. Although all the articles provided significant information, McLoyd et al (2007) article was the most convincing because they deal with the effects of endorsing and nonendorsing. Noendorsing mothers (mothers who don’t use spanking) all of a sudden starts using physical punishment, their children are more likely to be affected (displaying depressive symptoms). Endorsing mothers children are less like to be affected by spanking because that’s normal (as it relates to discipline) to them. McLoyd et al (2007) also mention that that cultural content should be considered when examining the determinants and consequences of physical discipline.
Conclusion
The question that was asked earlier was “Does spanking children lead to cognitive and behavioral problems”? The answer is most likely no. Sociocultural factor cultural content should be considered when examining the determinants and consequences of physical discipline (McLoyd et al, 2007), because spanking may be “normal” for one culture (African Americans in particular) may not be “normal” for another culture. McLoyd et al (2007) also proved how endorsing and nonendorsing can affect children. In abnormal psychology we learned that sociocultural perspectives emphasizes the importance of considering race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious preference, socioeconomic status, physical disabilities, and other such factors in explaining mental disorders (Sue at el, 2010).

References
Bodovski, K., Youn, M. (2010). Love, discipline and elementary school achievement: The role of family emotional climate. Social Science Research, 39, 585-595.
Gershoff, E. T., Lansford, J. E., Sexton, H. R., Davis-Kean, P., & Sameroff, A. J. (2012). Longitudinal links between spanking and children’s externalizing behaviors in a national sample of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American families. Child Development, 83(3), 838-843
McLoyd, V. C., Kaplan, R., Hardaway, C. R., & Wood, D. (2007). Does endorsement of physical discipline matter? Assessing moderating influences in the maternal and child psychological correlates of physical discipline in African American families. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(2), 165-175
Sue, D., Sue, D. W., & Sue, S (2013). Understanding abnormal behavior (9th edition). Boston, MA: 32, 423-428
Whaley, A. L. (2000). Sociocultural differences in the developmental consequences of the use of physical discipline during childhood for African Americans. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 6(1), 5-12