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Meta-Analysis
. 2016 Jun;30(4):453-69.
doi: 10.1037/fam0000191. Epub 2016 Apr 7.

Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses

Elizabeth T Gershoff  1 , Andrew Grogan-Kaylor  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses

Elizabeth T Gershoff et al. J Fam Psychol. 2016 Jun.

Abstract

Whether spanking is helpful or harmful to children continues to be the source of considerable debate among both researchers and the public. This article addresses 2 persistent issues, namely whether effect sizes for spanking are distinct from those for physical abuse, and whether effect sizes for spanking are robust to study design differences. Meta-analyses focused specifically on spanking were conducted on a total of 111 unique effect sizes representing 160,927 children. Thirteen of 17 mean effect sizes were significantly different from zero and all indicated a link between spanking and increased risk for detrimental child outcomes. Effect sizes did not substantially differ between spanking and physical abuse or by study design characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record

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