Strict Parenting Can Be Good Only When Kids Know They Are Being Loved

A new study has shown that an occasional spanking might be good for the kid as long as love and affection from the parents offsets the negative impact of being punished.

Previous research on the subject, published in the journal Pediatrics, showed that being punished as a kid can raise the risk of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse/dependence, and personality disorders later in life.

Also, high levels of stress during childhood, especially from being beaten or insulted, can lead to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, asthma and cancer.

The latest study was conducted by Dr. Miguelina German, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and colleagues, who found that the "perceptions of their parents' behavior, such as maternal warmth" protected the child against negative effects of harsh discipline. The study obtained data from 189 Mexican-American adolescents and their parents.

Researchers also found that kids who hadn't received parental love were more likely to be affected by the negative effects of harsh punishment and develop anti-social behavior in the future.

German said that kids who are punished during childhood don't necessarily develop antisocial behavior. "The relationship between the two is conditional and subject to other factors. Where harsh disciplinary practices are a cultural norm, there are always other influences at play that can lessen their potential harm on the young child," added German, according to express.co.uk.

The study is published in the journal Parenting: Science and Practice.

Not everybody is supportive of the view that physical punishment can do any good for the child.

"We would never endorse smacking as we feel that there are much better ways to communicate with a child," Jeremy Todd, chief executive of UK-based charity Family Lives, told telegraph.co.uk. "Parents who contact us say that smacking comes as a reaction, it is not a controlled moment. They often speak of their regrets; it is not something they feel good about. We would not support the research."