A new study claims that children who were spanked may be at a higher risk for sexual problems later in life. Initial findings of the study suggest in addition to being spanked, kids who were slapped or hit, had objects thrown at them are at a greater risk for being coercive with a sexual partner or engage in masochism (or get aroused by spanking).
Yikes! Generations of parents flogging themselves from shame after reading this report.
The good news is, there's not a one-to-one causation. Also, most kids who were spanked escape long-term harm. It's worth bearing in mind that these findings are yet unpublished (and, therefore, unreviewed) and the study was conducted by a guy who has made his name by denouncing spanking and other violence in the home (though the 81-year-old admits he spanked his own kids when they were young).
Another spanking researcher said while these findings are the first to link spanking and sexual problems, the connection may well come down to how the child processes the spanking (or hitting or object throwing).
From USAToday.com
"They may internalize that to mean that in loving relationships
sometimes there's pain or physical aggression," she says. Another
possible lesson is that "whoever is stronger and has more power can
overpower the other person and use physical aggression to control the
other person's behavior."
Still, makes you wonder how Strollerderby contributor and Babble essayist Cole is taking this news.
