Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Caron Gremont: Obesity's Officially a Disease, So How Come My Child…
Karri-Leigh P. Mastrangelo: Am I Going to Hell For My Position on…
Depressed Dads Spank Kids More Often, Study Shows
Filed under: In The News
A new study finds 7 percent of dads of 1-year-olds are depressed. Credit: Getty
Researchers from the University of Michigan looked at more than 1,700 fathers of 1-year-olds and found 7 percent of them were depressed. These men were nearly four times more likely to report spanking their child in the previous month than their non-depressed counterparts, according to an article in Pediatrics.
"Irritability and anger, common symptoms of depression, may be implicated in the increased likelihood of depressed fathers spanking their 1-year-old children," the authors write, adding that spanking has been associated with increased aggressive behavior in children.
Depressed fathers were less than half as likely to read to their child on a regular basis than non-depressed dads, but both groups said they sang to, talked to and played games with their child more than three times in a typical week, the report says.
Interactive play helps foster secure attachment in children, according to the study, and talking and other speech interactions help with language development.
Additionally, the study says, paternal depression has been shown to hurt speech development.
"By reducing positive interactions and amplifying negative interactions, paternal depression may be adversely impacting children's health and development as well as father-child relationship formation early in children's lives," the authors write.
The researchers noted that 77 percent of the depressed fathers had spoken to their child's pediatrician in the previous year, adding that well-child visits may provide a good opportunity for doctors to discuss healthy parenting and to refer depressed fathers for treatment.
Want to get the latest ParentDish news and advice? Sign up for our newsletter!
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Study: Facebook Can Lead to Narcissism, Depression in Kids
A study finds that Facebook is linked to negative social health effects and narcissism.
-
I Want My Baby Back
Full Segment: Birth moms often deal with regret and depression for many years after giving up their child, and some feel used by the adoption industry that profits from their kids.
-
Pros and Cons of Spanking your Child
One of the most controversial issues parents face when raising their children is whether to use spanking as a form of punishment. In this episode of The Lab, Daddy Clay and Daddy Brad talk with Dr. Elizabeth Gershoff, a professor who has been researching the topic. She explains the differences between corporal punishment and spanking. She also tells us why moms and dads spank their kids, along with whether or not spanking is on the decline.
-
Mike Lunares' Standup on Being Spanked as a Kid
Mike Lunares' standup about his father spanking him when he was a child.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-17-2011 @ 1:43PM
phoenixmichaelson said...Only suitable for minors?:
People used to think it was necessary to "spank" adult members of the community, college students, military trainees, and prisoners. In some countries they still do. In our country, it is considered assault and battery (sexual battery at that) if a person over the age of 18 is "spanked", but only if over the age of 18.
Most current research:
Spanking Kids Increases Risk of Sexual Problems
(University of New Hampshire)
Use of Spanking for 3-Year-Old Children and Associated Intimate Partner Aggression or Violence
(American Academy of Pediatrics)
Spanking Can Make Children More Aggressive Later
(Tulane University)
Spanking Children Can Lower IQ
(University of New Hampshire)
Recommended by professionals:
Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak
The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson
NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor MD and Adah Maurer PhD
Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child "spanking" isn't a good idea:
American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
American Psychological Association,
Center For Effective Discipline,
Churches' Network For Non-Violence,
United Methodist Church
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus' Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
In 31 nations, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The US also has the highest incarceration rate in the world.
The US states with the highest crime rates, poorest academic performance, highest obesity rates and health problems, and largest welfare caseloads are also the ones with the highest rates of child corporal punishment.
Of all the things prison inmates lacked in their upbringing, "spanking" certainly wasn't one of them.
There is simply no evidence to suggest that child bottom-battering instills virtue.
Reply