Physical punishment of children is not effective in preventing child behaviour problems or promoting positive outcomes, according to a substantial narrative review.

The study predicts that punishments such as spanking increases in behaviour problems and other negative consequences over time. 
&nbsp; 
The Lancet jouurnal published a study by an international group of academics, including a researcher from The University of Texas in Austin.

The research evaluated 69 studies into corporal punishment conducted over the past 20 years. 
&nbsp; 
According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), almost 300 million, or three-quarters, of the world's two- to four-year-old children are subjected to psychological abuse, physical punishment, or both by their caregivers at home. 
&nbsp; 
Sixty-two countries have banned the practice, which is increasingly seen as a form of violence. 
&nbsp; 
The consistency of these findings indicates that physical punishment is harmful to children and that policy remedies are warranted. 
&nbsp; 
The researchers looked at studies that involved physical punishment, such as spanking, and ruled out any practices that would be considered child abuse. 
&nbsp; 
The researchers discovered plenty of data to back up a UN statement from the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which urged that countries stop using all forms of physical punishment on children. 
&nbsp; 
UNICEF is urging governments to take immediate action and support measures such as developing well-coordinated national action plans, changing adult behaviours, limiting access to firearms and other weapons, and educating children, parents, teachers, and community members to recognise and report violence in all of its forms. 
&nbsp; 
(With inputs from agencies)

Physical punishment of children is not effective in preventing child behaviour problems or promoting positive outcomes, according to a substantial narrative review.

Physical punishment of children is not effective in preventing child behaviour problems or promoting positive outcomes, according to a substantial narrative review. The study predicts that punishments such as spanking increases in behaviour problems and other negative consequences over time. The Lancet jouurnal published a study by an international group of academics, including a researcher from The University of Texas in Austin. The research evaluated 69 studies into corporal punishment conducted over the past 20 years. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), almost 300 million, or three-quarters, of the world's two- to four-year-old children are subjected to psychological abuse, physical punishment, or both by their caregivers at home. Sixty-two countries have banned the practice, which is increasingly seen as a form of violence. The consistency of these findings indicates that physical punishment is harmful to children and that policy remedies are warranted. The researchers looked at studies that involved physical punishment, such as spanking, and ruled out any practices that would be considered child abuse. The researchers discovered plenty of data to back up a UN statement from the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which urged that countries stop using all forms of physical punishment on children. UNICEF is urging governments to take immediate action and support measures such as developing well-coordinated national action plans, changing adult behaviours, limiting access to firearms and other weapons, and educating children, parents, teachers, and community members to recognise and report violence in all of its forms. (With inputs from agencies)

Spanking harmful to children, worsens their behaviour: Lancet study

A new study has found that spanking may affect a child's brain development in ways similar to more extreme forms of violence.

The study led by Harvard researchers is based on existing work that shows heightened activity in some regions of the brains of children who face abuse in response to threat cues.&nbsp;

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It found that the group that comprise children who had been spanked had a higher neural response in several areas of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), including in regions that are part of the salience network.&nbsp;

These regions of the brain react to cues in the environment that tend to be consequential, for instance, a threat, and may affect decision-making and processing of situations.

"We know that children whose families use corporal punishment are more likely to develop anxiety, depression, behaviour problems, and other mental health problems, but many people don't think about spanking as a form of violence," Katie A. McLaughlin, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, director of the Stress &amp; Development Lab in the Department of Psychology, and the senior researcher on the study said.

Also read | <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/lok-sabha-takes-up-discussion-on-pocso-amendment-bill-239987">Bill to provide death penalty for child abuse in Lok Sabha</a>

"In this study, we wanted to examine whether there was an impact of spanking at a neurobiological level, in terms of how the brain is developing."

The researchers analysed data from a large study of children aged between 3 and 11.&nbsp;

They focused on 147 children aged around 10 and 11 who had been spanked, excluding those who had also faced more severe forms of violence.

Each participant lay in an MRI machine and watched a computer screen that displayed different photographs of actors making "fearful" and "neutral" faces.&nbsp;

A scanner was used to capture the child's brain activity in response to these faces and then analyses was done whether there has been a difference in responses on children who had been spanked and the ones who were not.&nbsp;

"On average, across the entire sample, fearful faces elicited greater activation than neutral faces in many regions throughout the brain … and children who were spanked demonstrated greater activation in multiple regions of PFC to fearful relative to neutral faces than children who were never spanked," the researchers wrote.

The study was published on Friday in the journal Child Development.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

A new study has found that spanking may affect a child's brain development in ways similar to more extreme forms of violence. The study led by Harvard researchers is based on existing work that shows heightened activity in some regions of the brains of children who face abuse in response to threat cues.

A new study has found that spanking may affect a child's brain development in ways similar to more extreme forms of violence. The study led by Harvard researchers is based on existing work that shows heightened activity in some regions of the brains of children who face abuse in response to threat cues. Also read | Child abuse, lack of schooling at NBA's China academies: report It found that the group that comprise children who had been spanked had a higher neural response in several areas of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), including in regions that are part of the salience network. These regions of the brain react to cues in the environment that tend to be consequential, for instance, a threat, and may affect decision-making and processing of situations. "We know that children whose families use corporal punishment are more likely to develop anxiety, depression, behaviour problems, and other mental health problems, but many people don't think about spanking as a form of violence," Katie A. McLaughlin, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, director of the Stress & Development Lab in the Department of Psychology, and the senior researcher on the study said. Also read | Bill to provide death penalty for child abuse in Lok Sabha "In this study, we wanted to examine whether there was an impact of spanking at a neurobiological level, in terms of how the brain is developing." The researchers analysed data from a large study of children aged between 3 and 11. They focused on 147 children aged around 10 and 11 who had been spanked, excluding those who had also faced more severe forms of violence. Each participant lay in an MRI machine and watched a computer screen that displayed different photographs of actors making "fearful" and "neutral" faces. A scanner was used to capture the child's brain activity in response to these faces and then analyses was done whether there has been a difference in responses on children who had been spanked and the ones who were not. "On average, across the entire sample, fearful faces elicited greater activation than neutral faces in many regions throughout the brain … and children who were spanked demonstrated greater activation in multiple regions of PFC to fearful relative to neutral faces than children who were never spanked," the researchers wrote. The study was published on Friday in the journal Child Development. (With inputs from agencies)

Spanking may affect children's brain development: Study

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