Topic Description
Domestic violence is an important public health issue that affects the physical and emotional well-being of men, women, and children all over the world. However, when it comes to children, some parents advocate for physical punishment as a means of teaching children to behave properly. The public widely accepts a differentiation between domestic violence and corporal punishment, although the latter can be damaging to children’s health and well-being. My opinion on the topic is that corporal punishment by parents and family members is a form of domestic violence that can be damaging to children. Approaching the topic from a scientific point of view could help to shed light on the health effects of corporal punishment in the home and highlight why it should be considered a form of domestic violence.
The research questions that the proposed paper will seek to answer are as follows:
- What is the prevalence of corporal punishment in the United States?
- What is the state of legislation on corporal punishment of children in the United States?
- How does corporal punishment affect the child’s behavior and development?
- What are mental and physical health problems associated with corporal punishment in the home?
- What are the safe and efficient strategies that can be used by parents instead of corporal punishment?
Purpose of Research
At the moment, many U.S. states have no legislation regarding corporal punishment in the home. This threatens the health and well-being of children that suffer from physical punishment by parents. The main reason for the absence of adequate legislation is that corporal punishment is not considered to be a form of domestic violence. However, corporal punishment by parents can damage children’s health, as well as their physical and emotional development, in the same way as domestic violence does (McCall, 2014; Case, 2017). Similarly to domestic violence, corporal punishment in the home is linked to increased aggression, impaired cognitive development, poor learning abilities, and psychological disturbances (Case, 2017). The topic affects me as it impacts the health of children and their development, which can cause problems in later life. Therefore, this paper seeks to increase the awareness about health and psychological impacts of corporal punishment in the home. Establishing the similarities in the effects of domestic violence and corporal punishment could help to promote adequate policy against the use of physical punishment by parents.
Preliminary Research
Gershoff, E. T. (2013). Spanking and child development: We know enough now to stop hitting our children. Child Development Perspectives, 7(3), 133-137.
Gershoff (2013) argues against spanking, which is a common form of corporal punishment, showing its lack of effectiveness and negative consequences for health. The author examines how corporal punishment is linked to impaired family relationships, aggression, abuse, criminal behavior, and more. For example, the author cites previous research that proves that in families where spanking is a regular practice, children are abused.
Hyland, M. E., Alkhalaf, A. M., & Whalley, B. (2013). Beating and insulting children as a risk for adult cancer, cardiac disease, and asthma. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 36(6), 632-640.
In this article, the authors present findings of their research, arguing that physical punishment of children is correlated with negative health outcomes in later life. The researchers investigated the correlation between physical punishment, its frequency, and the incidence of asthma, cancer, and cardiac disease in adults. The research also showed a correlation between the frequency of beating and health risks: for example, children who experienced corporal punishment every six months or less were at a higher risk of cardiac disease, cancer, and asthma. The authors found a strong correlation, suggesting that physical punishment of children is an early life stressor affecting somatic health in further life.
Audience
The paper is aimed at patents and policymakers, as the purpose of it is to show that corporal punishment in the home should be perceived as a form of domestic violence. The majority of the readers would see physical punishment as necessary for teaching children to behave. The main factors influencing their views on corporal punishment would thus be its perceived necessity and the lack of information about adverse outcomes associated with it. The motivation behind corporal punishment in the family is to eliminate misbehavior by punishing children for it. Thus, the audience needs to understand the effect of corporal punishment on children and gain knowledge about alternative parenting strategies that are more effective in achieving their goal. Overall, the research will seek to appeal to parents by defending the children’s interests while also recognizing the need for appropriate behavior modification tools.
Focus
Few studies attempted to compare the effects of domestic violence and corporal punishment on children. The present paper will seek to provide a new viewpoint on corporal punishment, arguing that it should be perceived as a form of domestic violence. The preliminary thesis of the work is as follows: “The present paper will show that the effect of corporal punishment and domestic violence on children are the same, which is why physical punishment should be perceived as the form of domestic violence”.
References
Case, H. (2017). The long-term effects of physical punishment on a child. Web.
McCall, C. (2014). Consider the impact of domestic violence on children. Web.