Spanking, a form of physical punishment aimed at correcting child behavior, has long been a topic of debate in parenting and developmental psychology. A recent study published in the Psychology of Violence sheds new light on this controversial practice, suggesting that spanking is associated with detrimental effects on a child’s cognitive, social-emotional, and motor development. The study, conducted across four countries — Bhutan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Rwanda — utilizes longitudinal data to provide a more robust analysis than previous studies. Spanking remains a widely practiced form of dis…
