Spanking is as old as the hills. People have been spanking their
kids as a form of punishment or discipline for a very long time.
Some parents believe how they discipline their child is their
business, and spanking is no big deal. A new study suggests that
spanking is a big deal, and may increase a child's risk of
mental disorders later in life In the new study, Tracie A, of
the University of Manitoba in Canada, and colleagues analyzed
information from more than 34,600 U.S. adults, ages 20 and
older, who were surveyed between 2004 and 2005. Participants
were asked, "As a child how often were you ever pushed, grabbed,
shoved, slapped or hit by your parents or any adult living in
your house?" About 6 percent of participants said they
experienced these forms of physical punishment sometimes, fairly
often, or very often in childhood, without experiencing other
forms of maltreatment. Those who experienced physical punishment
were 59 percent more likely to have alcohol dependence, 41
percent more like to have depre