Risks of Harm from Spanking Confirmed by Analysis of Five Decades of Research

https://news.utexas.edu/2016/04/25/risks-of-harm-from-spanking-confirmed-by-researchers

April 25, 2016

The more children are spanked, the more likely they are to defy their parents and to experience increased anti-social behavior, aggression, mental health problems and cognitive difficulties, according to a new meta-analysis of 50 years of research on spanking by experts at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan.

The study, published in this month’s Journal of Family Psychology, looks at five decades of research involving over 160,000 children. The researchers say it is the most complete analysis to date of the outcomes associated with spanking, and more specific to the effects of spanking alone than previous papers, which included other types of physical punishment in their analyses.

“Our analysis focuses on what most Americans would recognize as spanking and not on potentially abusive behaviors,” says Elizabeth Gershoff, an associate professor of human development and family sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. “We found that spanking was associated with unintended detrimental outcomes and was not associated with more immediate or long-term compliance, which are parents’ intended outcomes when they discipline their children.”

Gershoff and co-author Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, found that spanking (defined as an open-handed hit on the behind or extremities) was significantly linked with 13 of the 17 outcomes they examined, all in the direction of detrimental outcomes.

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Gershoff and Grogan-Kaylor tested for some long-term effects among adults who were spanked as children. The more they were spanked, the more likely they were to exhibit anti-social behavior and to experience mental health problems. They were also more likely to support physical punishment for their own children, which highlights one of the key ways that attitudes toward physical punishment are passed from generation to generation.

The researchers looked at a wide range of studies and noted that spanking was associated with negative outcomes consistently and across all types of studies, including those using the strongest methodologies such as longitudinal or experimental designs.

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Both spanking and physical abuse were associated with the same detrimental child outcomes in the same direction and nearly the same strength.

“We as a society think of spanking and physical abuse as distinct behaviors,” she says. “Yet our research shows that spanking is linked with the same negative child outcomes as abuse, just to a slightly lesser degree.”

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Youth development program helps kids get out of poverty in adulthood

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/949982

 

 News Release 18-Apr-2022
Study measured outcomes after 33-year follow-up with program alumni
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

 

A free youth development program serving Black children and teens living in a low-income segregated community demonstrated positive long-term educational and financial outcomes in its alumni, according to a study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago published in the journal BMC Public Health.

A 33-year follow-up revealed that alumni graduated from college at twice the rate of their peers who did not participate in the youth development program. For each year of program enrollment, alumni were 10 percent more likely to complete college. Alumni also were more likely to save money at the end of the month and to report a better standard of living than their parents.

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Exercise during pregnancy reduces the risk of Type-2 Diabetes in offspring, study finds

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/949762

 

 News Release 14-Apr-2022
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Tohoku University

 

A new study has demonstrated that maternal exercise during pregnancy improves the metabolic health of offspring, even when the mother is obese or on a high-fat diet. Physical exercise by the mother induces the placenta to secrete the key protein SOD3, resulting in a lowered risk of diabetes for the offspring. The findings in the paper identified the mechanisms behind this process.

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Overweight children are developing heart complications

 

 https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/937916

 

 News Release 14-Dec-2021
Youth with high BMI showed signs of artery stiffness, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Georgia

 

The percentage of obese children and teens jumped from 19% pre-pandemic to 22%, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the rate at which body mass index (BMI) increased doubled.

New research from the University of Georgia suggests that could spell bad news for children’s cardiovascular systems both now and down the line. 

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 The researchers found significantly higher levels of visceral fat and arterial stiffness in the overweight youth, suggesting that abdominal fat likely contributes to cardiovascular problems in kids.

“The stiffer the artery, the faster blood is going to move through those blood vessels, and that can be detrimental and overstress our system,” said Joseph Kindler, corresponding author of the study and an assistant professor of nutritional sciences in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “As these issues build up, unfortunately, it’s sort of this game of dominoes. You tip one over, and the rest of the systems start being overtaxed. That’s when really pervasive health issues can occur.”

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Childhood trauma increases risk of opioid abuse

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/937465

 

 News Release 9-Dec-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Georgia

 

Young adults who experienced trauma in childhood are more at risk for misusing prescription opioids, according to new research from the University of Georgia.

The study, which was recently published in the Journal of American College Health, supports arguments to expand opioid risk screeners to include adverse childhood experiences.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) describe a range of stressors, some more severe than others, that can lead to negative health outcomes as an adult. These can range from having divorced parents to experiencing domestic violence or food insecurity.

Previous studies have linked childhood trauma to chronic health conditions, chronic pain, mental health conditions and health risk behaviors, including illicit drug use. But it’s unclear whether ACEs might influence prescription drug misuse and, in particular, prescription opioid misuse. 

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 tags: drug use, drug abuse, child abuse,

Revealing the link between child maltreatment, the bonding hormone, and brain development

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/935438

 

 News Release 18-Nov-2021
Scientists uncover how child maltreatment alters the oxytocin gene, leading to atypical brain structure and function
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Fukui

 

Child maltreatment, which spans child abuse and neglect, can adversely affect healthy development of the brain. Adults who were abused as kids tend to develop atypical brain structures, which can lead to various psychiatric disorders and even suicide. Fortunately, during and shortly after adolescence, the neocortical regions of the brain (brain regions concerned with thought, perception, and episodic memory) undergo a major reorganization, which provides an opportunity to treat some of the disorders caused by child maltreatment. Is there a biological mechanism that could be effectively targeted during this reorganization to improve the lives of victims of childhood abuse?

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 tags: child abuse,

Cannabis use during pregnancy impacts the placenta and may affect subsequent child development

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/934809

 

  News Release 15-Nov-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
The Graduate Center, CUNY

Women who use cannabis during pregnancy, potentially to relieve stress and anxiety, may inadvertently predispose their children to stress susceptibility and anxiety, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the City University of New York published Monday, November 15, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

As legalization of recreational cannabis progresses across the world, many people mistakenly believe that cannabis use is without significant health risks.

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The children of mothers who used cannabis during pregnancy showed higher anxiety, aggression, hyperactivity, and levels of the stress hormone cortisol, compared to children of non-cannabis users. Maternal cannabis use was also associated with a reduction in the high-frequency component of heart rate variability—the change in time interval between heart beats—which normally reflects increased stress sensitivity. In addition, RNA sequencing of placental tissue collected at the time of birth in a subset of participants revealed that maternal cannabis use was associated with lower expression of immune-activating genes, including pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are involved in protecting against pathogens. The cannabis-related suppression of several placental immune-gene networks predicted higher anxiety in the children.

“Pregnant women are being bombarded with misinformation that cannabis is of no risk, while the reality is that cannabis is more potent today than it was even a few years ago. Our findings indicate that using it during pregnancy can have long-term impact on children,” said Yasmin Hurd, PhD, the Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience, Director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai, and senior author of the paper. 

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tags: drug use, drug abuse,

COVID-19 leads to a decrease in prosocial behaviour among disadvantaged adolescents

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/934596

 

 News Release 11-Nov-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Cologne

 

If a family member falls ill with COVID-19, this has a particularly negative effect on young people from an economically disadvantaged and less educated background. These adolescents not only fall behind in school, their non-cognitive abilities also suffer: they are less prosocial than before. This means that they behave less generously, altruistically, and cooperatively. Moreover, their willingness to trust others decreases. In addition to declining academic performance, this development can also bring disadvantages for them in the long term.

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 In the past, several studies have already shown that the pandemic affects people from economically disadvantaged and less educated backgrounds more strongly in the areas of health, labour, and education. Sutter’s team now showed to what extent COVID-19 has a negative impact on prosocial behaviour – with consequences. Economists agree that non-cognitive skills such as prosociality contribute significantly to success in later working life. ‘In the long term, this development could have a negative impact on the opportunities of those affected on the labour market,’ said Sutter.

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Drug used to prevent miscarriage increases risk of cancer in offspring

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/934277

 

 News Release 9-Nov-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Exposure in utero to a drug used to prevent miscarriage can lead to an increased risk of developing cancer, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston).

The study was published today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The drug, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC), is a synthetic progestogen that was frequently used by women in the 1950s and 1960s, and is still prescribed to women today to help prevent preterm birth. Progesterone helps the womb grow during pregnancy and prevents a woman from having early contractions that may lead to miscarriage.

“Children who were born to women who received the drug during pregnancy have double the rate of cancer across their lifetime compared to children born to women who did not take this drug,” said Caitlin C. Murphy, PhD, MPH, lead author on the study and associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston. “We have seen cancers like colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, and many others increasing in people born in and after the 1960s, and no one really knows why.”

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Forest fires linked to low birth weight in newborns

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933561

 

 News Release 2-Nov-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
eLife

 

Women exposed to smoke from landscape fires during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to babies with low or very low birth weights, according to findings published in eLife.

The study is the first to report a link between low birth weight and exposure to fire smoke in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 90% of low birth weight infants are born and landscape fires are prevalent.  

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“Babies with low birth weights are at higher risk of a range of diseases in later life compared to normal weight newborns,” explains co-first author Jiajianghui Li, a PhD student at the Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, School of Public Health Science Centre, Peking University, China. “Several studies have shown the effects of landscape fire smoke on acute lung and heart conditions,

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Urban planning may affect cognitive and motor development in children

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933837

 

 News Release 4-Nov-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)

 

A new study from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, provides further scientific evidence of the health benefits of well-designed urban planning. The study suggests that the built environment, green space and air pollution can affect cognitive and motor function in children.

According to numerous studies, the urban environment can influence neurodevelopment from conception onwards, for example through exposure to air pollution. However, previous research has not evaluated the impact of multiple exposure groups simultaneously using an early-life exposome approach.

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 The findings showed that exposure to some built environment design factors, natural spaces and air pollution was associated with children’s cognitive and motor function at five years of age. Specifically, higher exposure to greenness within 300 metres of the home during pregnancy was associated with higher verbal abilities. In contrast, greater connectivity (density of street intersections) and land use diversity during pregnancy were associated with lower verbal abilities.

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Increased frequency of eating eggs in infancy associated with decreased egg allergy later on

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932631

 

 News Release 5-Nov-2021
​​​​​​​Peer-Reviewed Publication
American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

 

Allergists and pediatricians have recommended since 2017 that parents start to introduce peanut product around the time their child begins solid foods to prevent peanut allergy. A new study being presented at this year’s American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting reveals that early egg introduction is associated with decreased egg allergy.

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Four years after release of guidelines, parents still not informed about early peanut introduction

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932626

 

 News Release 5-Nov-2021
American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

 

In 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) released guidelines to help parents introduce peanut products to their infants to prevent peanut allergy. A new study being presented at this year’s American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting reveals that although 58% of those surveyed reported their primary care physician (PCP) discussed early peanut introduction, only 40% of the parents said they received a recommendation to introduce peanut by 11 months of age.

“Our survey showed that while PCPs are discussing the idea of early peanut introduction with parents of infants, they aren’t recommending that most parents begin peanut by 11 months of age,” said Christopher Warren, PhD, primary author of the study. “We now know that the earlier peanut is introduced, as early as when a child begins solid foods, the better the chance that peanut allergy can be prevented.”

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Flame retardants linked to autistic-like behavior

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/934055

 News Release 5-Nov-2021
University of California - Riverside

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, are a class of fire-retardant chemicals that are ubiquitous. They are found on upholstery, carpets, curtains, electronics, and even infant products. Flame retardants migrate out of products into dust that humans contact and can ingest.  Considered to be global environmental pollutants, they have been detected in water, soil, air, food products, animals, and human tissues. They are found, too, in breast milk of women all over the world.

A research team led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has found that when female mice exposed to PBDEs pass on these neuroendocrine-disrupting chemicals to their developing offspring, the female offspring show traits relevant to autism spectrum disorders, or ASD. Their short-term social-recognition ability and long-term social memory is reduced significantly and the offspring show exaggerated “marble burying” behavior — repetitive behavior reminiscent of human compulsive behavior, a core symptom of ASD.

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While most biomedical research is done using rodents, these studies have implications for humans. Like humans, mice live in social groups and communicate dominance and subordinate behavior while competing for access to resources. A mouse’s ability to recognize others is a key behavior with translational relevance to human social cognition.

“Consumers need to be aware they are being exposed to chemicals like PBDEs,” Curras-Collazo said. “You cannot avoid these chemicals since they are added to many indoor products in the home, school, car and airplane. To avoid them you can buy PBDE-free furniture or cover the foam in your furniture, choose less contaminated foods, and vacuum and mop frequently to remove PBDE-contaminated dust. It’s crucial that we understand that these chemicals are present in our bodies and what they are doing.”  

Mother’s occupational exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants could cause asthma in future children

 Surely heavy exposure at home would also have this effect.  But it would be easier to study what jobs mothers had.

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931863

 

 News Release 18-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
The University of Bergen

 

New analysis of data collected in the large international RHINESSA and RHINE studies, raises concern for adverse health effects of cleaning products and disinfectants, even in the next generation. A study led by UiB researchers have found that childhood asthma was more common if the mother had worked in a job with exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants before conception of the child. This may raise our awareness of how we use disinfectants and cleaning products in these times of pandemia.

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Exposure to childhood adversity is linked to early mortality and associated with nearly half a million annual US deaths

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931290 

 News Release 12-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

The findings of a new study suggest that childhood adversity is a major contributor to early and preventable causes of mortality and a powerful determinant of long term physical and mental health.  Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Harvard University found that childhood adversity is associated with elevated risk for chronic disease including heart disease and cancer. 

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Parental beliefs on child development and child outcomes go hand-in-hand—and those beliefs can be shifted

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930169

 

 News Release 1-Oct-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Chicago Medical Center

 

In a paper published October 1 in Nature Communications, University of Chicago Medicine pediatrician Dana Suskind, MD, along with University of Chicago economists John List, PhD, and Julie Pernaudet, PhD investigate one potential source of discrepancy in child skill level: disparity in parents’ beliefs about their influence over their children’s development.

Through experimental studies involving hundreds of families across the Chicagoland area, the researchers show parental knowledge and beliefs differ across socioeconomic status. But these beliefs can, with the right intervention, be changed. Moreover, these changes can have measurable effects on child outcomes. The results may offer policymakers insights into addressing an important contributor to disparities in child skill development.

“Neuroscience clearly shows that building early brain connections in children relies on the nurturing ‘serve and return,’ meaning the interactions between adult and child,” said Suskind, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics and Co-Director of the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health.

For this reason, differences in parental engagement can lead to differences in children’s brain development and their capabilities later on.

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 On average, the more education a parent had, the more their knowledge and beliefs were aligned with what the science shows. The more aligned their beliefs were with the science, the more facilitative behavior there was,” said Suskind.

However, within six months of starting the experiments, the beliefs of the treatment groups had shifted significantly from those of the control groups, although both were made up of parents of similar demographics. Moreover, the more intensive home visiting program saw more than twice the impact.

“With these different tiers of intervention,” said Suskind, “we could shift what parents know and believe and by doing so, shift their behavior in the positive direction.”

As parents began to believe their investments mattered, they began to invest more heavily in their children’s development. Suskind and her team saw statistically significant improvements in parent-child interactions over the span of both experiments.

These results were also correlated with improvements in child outcomes, such as vocabulary, math skills and social-emotional skills. Both experiments saw gains in outcomes, but the more intensive program again had a stronger effect.

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Sibling bullying associated with poor mental health outcomes years later, new study finds

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929741

 

 News Release 29-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of York

 

Young people who are repeatedly bullied by siblings are more likely to suffer from poor mental health and wellbeing issues later in adolescence, a new study has suggested.

The new research, which analysed data from over 17,000 participants, found that as the frequency of bullying increased in early-to-middle adolescence, so did the severity of mental health outcomes in their late teens 

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“Of particular note was the finding that even those who bullied their siblings, but weren’t bullied themselves (ie the bullies) had poorer mental health outcomes years later”, Dr Toseeb added.

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Parental income has long-term consequences for children’s health

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929581

 News Release 27-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

A family’s socioeconomic status affects children’s health long into adulthood. Individuals growing up in low-income families have much higher risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases later in life. That’s especially true for permanent low-income families, a University of Illinois study shows.

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Permanent income is associated with parents’ general socioeconomic conditions in the long term, while transitory income refers to temporary income peaks or valleys. For example, a peak might occur when a parent receives a bonus at work or gets an inheritance. Peaks and valleys might also be related to macroeconomic conditions. Many families experienced a temporary setback due to the economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xu and her co-author Tansel Yilmazer, Ohio State University, analyzed data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), which followed thousands of families and children over a 47-year period. PSID began collecting parental income information in 1968, and from 1999 included health information about the now-adult children.

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The researchers find the correlation between income and health is strongest for those with lower socioeconomic status, and the likelihood of adult obesity and obesity-related outcomes decreases as parents’ permanent income goes up. Transitory income peaks during adolescence can promote better health, while no other transitory peaks or valleys had a significant effect.

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Future fertility of obese boys may be protected by early weight loss

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/928960

 

 News Release 23-Sep-2021
Reports and Proceedings
European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology

 

Reproductive function in boys with obesity may be improved through weight loss, which could protect their fertility in adulthood, according to research presented today at the 59th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting. The study suggests that even after short-term weight loss, alterations in reproductive function could be partially reversed in young boys with obesity. This indicates that early management of obesity in childhood could help prevent future fertility problems in men.

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