Physicians' attitudes toward corporal punishment.

It's not uncommon for parents to seek advice from their pediatrician or family practitioner about the role of spanking in disciplining their children. But, opinions from physicians vary and in many cases are contrary to what previous research has revealed about the role of corporal punishment of children at home or in school. This was strikingly demonstrated in a report from the Journal of the American Medical Association by Kenelm McCormick, M.D. of the Barberton (Ohio) Citizen's Hospital and the Violence Education Task Force of Kansas City, Missouri.

In the first part of his report, Dr. McCormick reviewed a great deal of the current literature on corporal punishment of children at home and at school. The overwhelming majority of the research showed that not only is corporal punishment ineffective as a means of discipline, but that it appears to have a significant effect in perpetuating violence in society. It has the …