Does Spanking = Sexual Problems Later in Life ?
Research presented last week to the American Psychological Association seems to indicate that kids who received physical punishments such as spanking from their parents may very well be more likely to have sexual problems later in life.
While there have been many, many studies done that show spanking is detrimental to a childs’ health, this is the first one to make any type of co-relation between spanking and later sexual problems such as coercing a sexual partner, engaging in risky sexual behavior and/or engaging in masochistic sex.
The research is based on studies done by leading domestic abuse researcher Murray Straus. Dr Straus, co-director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, analysed the results of four studies that were part of the International Dating Violence Study, a survey of more than 14,000 university students at 68 universities in 32 countries.
Straus found that ”…both men and women who had experienced corporal punishment as children were less than 10 percent more likely than those who had not been spanked to verbally coerce sex from a partner.”
But Straus is quick to clarify the meaning of these results, saying that while spanking does appear to increase the chances of sexual problems later in life for some people, it cannot be seen as a ‘one-to-one causation.’ In other words, there is often more at play here than the occasional spanking.
Either way, sounds like yet another good reason to avoid spanking the child…
What do you think?
(source)
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POSTED IN: Boys & Girls, Children, Health, Misc., Morning News
9 opinions for Does Spanking = Sexual Problems Later in Life ?
Nico
Mar 3, 2008 at 7:44 am
It’s a difficult subject to talk about.
Sure, spanking isn’t ethical… But there are different gradations in physical punishment. You could just tap them on the buttocks or give a ’serious’ beating.
Then there’s also different gradations in psychological punishment / disciplining. You can just give your child some kind of a lecture, try to talk to them, OR you could lock them up in the basement for an hour.
Locking up a child to discipline them isn’t any better than a tap on the buttocks. I think.
So you should try to figure out what works best for your child and remains ethical.
If you can’t keep your kid in control, then find some pedagogic guidance. It’s definitely a lot better than resorting to serious physical or psychological punishment. These will both undeniably affect your child’s behavior in the future.
Shadoglare
Mar 3, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Based on the article I read on it, it sounds like it’s much too vague and un-scientific of a survey to be able to draw any real conclusions. It was a survey of 440 people, all in the same age group (teenagers), … thus pretty much statistically insignificant… and basically all it asked was “do you have risky sex” and “did you get spanked as a kid.” If the teen answered yes to both, they connected the two, even though there could be hundreds of other factors involved. Plus they state themselves that there could be other factors involved and that the way the spanking is done could also be a factor.
This “study,” especially when using it as a source for a blanket “all spanking is bad” argument, should not be read with just a grain of salt, more like a whole silo.
Amanda
Mar 4, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I’m not a parent because I’m only 12, but my friend consistantly gets spanked for the very little mistakes she and her sister makes. I think it’s a very cruel thing to do especially to young children because they are fragile living creatures. Now, I know you might be thinking ‘Well, your a child so of course you don’t like spankings’. Well who does?! When your spanking your child for acting a certain way that you think they should be beaten, think about how you felt when you were little and getting spankings. And just think about how that could really effect your child, not only sexually, as they are saying, but mentally, and physically. You shouldn’t want your child to grow up to be the person with messed up kids and have problems because they were beaten as children. Thank you for reading my quite long coment
Liz
Mar 5, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Spanking the child really is a controversal issue… with studies indicating one thing and another. Straus was very careful to say in his study results that there is a possibility that those that were spanked ‘could’ have sexual problems later in life but that you could look at the spanking alone as the problem - that there are more issues than just one at play.
Liz
Mar 5, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for sharing your opinion…you are very right in saying that parents should think about what they are doing before they do it. And that no one should be beaten.
Amanda
Mar 5, 2008 at 3:50 pm
My father believes that spanking is the solution, it’s NOT!!!!!
al
Mar 15, 2008 at 10:16 am
So far, I’ve seen some sensible comments, and some comments that reflect the brainwashing done by discredited so-called researchers like Straus. All of his studies were discounted by his professional peers as being opinions without valid scientific basis or properly formulated data. Just follow the money trail, and one can easily see that Straus/ nonsense was paid for (funding grants) by a number of anti-spanking groups, who donated monies or endowed studies that would attempt to validate their erroneous claims.
To be sure, spankings given for the slightest mistake are definitely abusive. Corporal punishment should be retained as a rarely used severe consequence of disobedience. If a parent depends on spanking as a regular facet of child-rearing, than that parent needs professional help, and fast!
However, abusive parents do not invalidate the use of corporal punishment. We don’t ban cars simply because drunk drivers kill people in them, or because some people speed or commit crimes and use getaway cars. The illogical position taken by the so-called experts is just foolishness.
There are other studies, modeled on perfect scientific principles of research, that do show positive aspects as outcomes of spanking…..not beating a child senseless or bloody, just causing a bit of temporary pain to their butts to provoke some contemplation on their part as to the reason for the spanking.
Suzana
Mar 29, 2008 at 11:51 pm
I will have to disagree with this article it sounds like it needs a lot of tweeking and filling in the cracks. I have 2 kids and my eldest is 3, I make her take time out and when she screams at me from the top of her lungs “NO”, wel I give her a spank and tell her to take her time out. I would hate to see what she would be like if I didn’t keep her under control, my other daughter is just and angle. Now I did read what Amanda wrote who has friends that are 12 who get spanked, now there is something wrong with that, once a child is old enough to reason with the spanking should stop. That is when toys, tc computer etc start get taken away. I agree that at that age is too ols and there maybe something else going on in that fanily other then spanking as well that would elicite certain sexual behaviors later on in life? The data seems flawed and the research feels forced and if not negligable? Who am I, just another opinion.
Liz
Mar 30, 2008 at 1:52 am
Suzana, thanks for weighing in on this issue. I agree with you in that the data does seem flawed and quite far fetched.
But I like to find studies like this to put out to the readers to see what they think. For every study that says one thing, there is always another study that says something else.
Thanks for your input. Your opinion is important.
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