The Fragile Families and Child Well

The Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study,
a longitudinal birth cohort study of children in 20 medium to large
US cities, was used. Parental reports of spanking were assessed at
age 3 and 5, along with child externalizing behavior and receptive
vocabulary at age 9 (N = 1933). The data set also included an
extensive set of child and family controls (including earlier
measures of the child outcomes).
RESULTS: Overall, 57% of mothers and 40% of fathers engaged in
spanking when children were age 3, and 52% of mothers and 33%
of fathers engaged in spanking at age 5. Maternal spanking at age 5,
even at low levels, was associated with higher levels of child externalizing
behavior at age 9, even after an array of risks and earlier child
behavior were controlled for. Father’s high-frequency spanking at age
5 was associated with lower child receptive vocabulary scores at age 9.
CONCLUSIONS: Spanking remains a typical rearing experience for
American children. These results demonstrate negative effects of spanking
on child behavioral and cognitive development in a longitudinal
sample from birth through 9 years of age.