Parental spanking of 1-year-old children and subsequentchild protective services involvement

Abstract

tThe majority of U.S. parents spank their children, often beginning when their childrenare very young. We examined families (N = 2,788) who participated in a longitudinalcommunity-based study of new births in urban areas. Prospective analyses examinedwhether spanking by the child’s mother, father, or mother’s current partner when the childwas 1-year-old was associated with household CPS involvement between age 1 and age 5.Results indicated that 30% of 1-year-olds were spanked at least once in the past month.Spanking at age 1 was associated with increased odds of subsequent CPS involvement(adjusted odds ratio = 1.36, 95% CI [1.08, 1.71], p < .01). When compared to non-spankedchildren, there was a 33% greater probability of subsequent CPS involvement for childrenwho were spanked at age 1. Given the undesirable consequences of spanking children anda lack of empirical evidence to suggest positive effects of physical punishment, profession-als who work with families should counsel parents not to spank infants and toddlers. Foroptimal benefits, efforts to educate parents regarding alternative forms of discipline shouldbegin during the child’s first year of life