Smacking children can affect schooling

12.01am

Physical punishment of children is associated with anti-social behaviour and poorer performance at school, according to a review of research by Otago University's Children's Issues Centre.

The centre, commissioned by the Office of the Children's Commissioner, surveyed more than 300 international research articles.

Lead researcher Professor Anne Smith said today the review found physical punishment had only limited success in making children compliant and the long-term effects were all negative.

"The literature is quite consistent in supporting the conclusion that there is an association between the use of parental corporal punishment and the development of anti-social behaviour in children," she said in a statement.

Effects of smacking included:

- aggression, disruptive, delinquent and anti-social behaviour, violent offending, and low peer status;

- poorer academic achievement including lower IQ, poorer performance on achievement tests, poorer adjustment to school, more attention deficit-like symptoms, and poorer self-esteem;

- diminished quality of parent-child relationships, with children likely to be less securely attached to parents, and to feel fearful or hostile towards them;

- increased depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and psychiatric disorders.

Prof Smith said one of the problems highlighted by the review was the lack of agreement over when physical punishment stepped over the line and became abuse.

In contrast the research suggested principles of effective discipline including:

- parental warmth, involvement and affectionate relationships;

- clear communication and messages to children, which are age-appropriate, about why their behaviour is acceptable or not;

- providing fair, reasonable and clearly defined rules, boundaries and expectations for behaviour;

- consistently following behaviours with appropriate consequences, rewards or mild non-physical punishments such as time-out.

Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro said the research had found that an authoritative and firm parenting style, accompanied by warmth and reasoning was associated with children's healthy social adjustment.

"This is important research because it gives parents evidence-based information about the effects of physical punishment, as well as practical alternatives."

Dr Kiro said a recent UNICEF report had shown New Zealand had the third highest rate of deaths from child maltreatment among countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The full research findings will be released at a seminar on the use of physical punishment, organised by the Children's Issues Centre in Wellington on June 18-19.

- NZPA