Straus M A, Kantor G K
Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire, 126 Horton Social Science Center, Durham 03824.
Adolescence. 1994 Fall;29(115):543-61.
Over 90% of parents of toddlers spank or use other forms of corporal punishment. Although the rate declines each year from about age five, this study of a large national sample of U.S. adults found that almost half recalled having been corporally punished during their teen years. This high prevalence indicates a need to investigate the possibility that corporal punishment puts adolescents at increased risk of developing mental health and social relationship problems later in life. The analysis, which controlled for a number of possible confounding risk factors such as low socioeconomic status, found that children who experienced corporal punishment in adolescence had an increased risk later in life of depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts, alcohol abuse, physical abuse of children, and wife beating. The consistent association of corporal punishment with major adult problem behavior, together with the fact that at least half of all adolescents are victims of corporal punishment by their parents, indicates a need to replicate the study using longitudinal data. If the findings are confirmed, it suggests that a major step in primary prevention of violence and mental health problems can be achieved by a national effort to reduce or eliminate all use of corporal punishment.
超过90%的幼儿家长有打孩子或使用其他形式体罚的行为。尽管从大约五岁起，体罚率每年都在下降，但这项对大量美国成年人进行的全国性抽样研究发现，近一半的人回忆起自己在青少年时期曾遭受过体罚。这种高发生率表明有必要调查体罚是否会使青少年在日后生活中出现心理健康和社会关系问题的风险增加。该分析控制了一些可能的混杂风险因素，如社会经济地位较低等，结果发现，在青少年时期经历过体罚的孩子，在日后生活中出现抑郁症状、自杀念头、酗酒、虐待儿童以及殴打妻子的风险会增加。体罚与成年人的主要问题行为之间存在持续关联，再加上至少一半的青少年是父母体罚的受害者这一事实，表明有必要利用纵向数据重复这项研究。如果研究结果得到证实，这意味着通过全国性努力减少或消除所有体罚行为，在暴力和心理健康问题的一级预防方面可迈出重要一步。
