Whether spanking is helpful or harmful to children continues to be the source of debate among both researchers and the public. Many argue that spanking your children helps inforce good behavior and is a form of discipline for the bad. Although this maybe the reason why parents spank their own children many say spanking is a form of abuse. They say spanking your child can cause mental health problems and can cause negative outcomes. This study was conducted on April 25, 2016 by experts at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan. Elizabeth Gershoff and co-author Andrew Grogan-Kaylor. Their study focuses on what most Americans would see as spanking and not a potentially abusive behavior. During their study they found that spanking your children can cause them to defy their parents more frequently and can also cause a lifelong mental health issue. It showed as the frequency of spanking increases, the likelihood of anti-social behavior, mental health issues, and aggression also increases. …show more content…
In the article Grogan-Kaylor states “The upshot of the study is that spanking increases the likelihood of a wide variety of undesired outcomes for children. Spanking thus does the opposite of what parents usually want it to do.” Not only did Gershoff and Grogan-Kaylor test on children but also on long-term effects among adults who were also spanked as a child. This showed that the more they were spanked, the more likely they experienced mental health problems or behavior problems. As many as 80 percent of parents around the world spank their children according to a 2014 UNICEF