PUNISHMENT FOSTERS AGGRESSION IN CHILDREN, STUDY SHOWS

It's been pointed out here many times, but
it's always worth pointing out once again:

A slew of studies over the years have produced
similar, if not identical, results:

Children raised in homes where punishment --
let alone physical assault -- is a feature of life
grow up measurably more aggressive and
prone to violence than children raised by
parents who employ non-punitive child-raising
techniques.

The attached report on research by Statistics Canada
is only the latest in a long line of studies over
several decades that, taken together, leave no room
for doubt: Being raised with punishment, let alone
violence at the hands of their parents, is very, very
bad for children.

Parents should note that the damage caused children
by being raised in a punitive environment throughout
childhood are not transitory; the ill effects tend to
stay with a person through his/her lifetime.

"Researchers have found links between aggression in
childhood and poor outcomes later in life. These
outcomes may include aggression, delinquency, and
crime in adolescence and adulthood; poor school
results; unemployment in adulthood; and other negative
circumstances."

The "other negative circumstances," as identified in
other studies, include depression, substance abuse,
low self-esteem, difficulty dealing with authority,
committing spousal and/or child abuse and a tendency
to vote Republican.*

The good news in the study is that if parents abandon
their punitive styles early enough, the negative
effects tend to diminish over time, but that simply
reinforces the unmistakable conclusion that the
more punishment children are subjected to, the
worse their behaviour can be expected to become.

It is for these reasons that nearly all North
American organizations of professionals who deal with
children and adolescents have taken public positions
opposing corporal punishment.

Under the circumstances, it's reasonable to
conclude that parents who still believe that
deliberately causing their children pain in the
name of "discipline" isn't destructive to their health
and welfare are hopelessly incompetent and not fit to
care for children.
===


Monday, October 25, 2004

Parenting style and children's aggressive behaviour - 1994 to 2000

Children who live in homes where punitive parenting techniques are
used are more likely than others to exhibit aggressive behaviour,
according to a new study. However, children raised with a punitive
parenting style at very young ages are not more aggressive than other
children when they're older, if the parenting style becomes less
punitive over time.

The study found that children aged two to three years who were living
in punitive environments in 1994 scored 39% higher on a scale of
aggressive behaviours, such as bullying or being mean to others, than
did those in less punitive environments.

The difference was even more pronounced six years later in 2000, when
the children were eight to nine years old. Those who lived in punitive
homes scored 83% higher on the aggressive behaviour scale than those
in less punitive homes.

Both at age two to three and also at age eight to nine, children
raised in a non-punitive parenting environment were much less likely
than others to exhibit aggressive behaviour, according to their
parents.

It is important to emphasize that this study does not prove that
punitive parenting causes aggressive behaviour in children. However,
it does reinforce earlier research and theory which have proposed that
punitive parenting styles may lead to increased aggressive behaviour
in children.

Aggressive behaviour in young children is of considerable interest
because of its implications for future behaviour and adjustment.
Researchers have found links between aggression in childhood and poor
outcomes later in life. These outcomes may include aggression,
delinquency, and crime in adolescence and adulthood; poor school
results; unemployment in adulthood; and other negative circumstances.

This study, based on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of
Children and Youth (NLSCY), expands on what is known about the
relationship between early home environments and later behaviour.

-Change in parenting environment predicts change in child's behaviour-

The study found that the tendency toward aggressive behaviour observed
in some children did not necessarily persist. When parenting styles
that had been punitive when children were two to three years old
became less punitive six years later, children's aggressive behaviour
scores also tended to be lower, regardless of how aggressively they
had behaved while very young.

In other words, children whose parenting environment changed from
punitive at age two to three to non-punitive at age eight to nine
scored just as low in aggressive behaviour as those whose parenting
environment was not punitive at either of those ages.

Likewise, children whose parenting environment changed from
non-punitive to punitive had aggressive behaviour scores that were
just as high as those whose parenting environment was punitive at both
ages.

-Aggressive behaviour linked to parenting style, regardless of sex or
income-

Children of parents whose style was punitive were more likely to score
high on the aggression scale than children living in less punitive
environments at both ages, regardless of their sex or their household
income level.

The study found that girls and boys were equally likely to exhibit
aggressive behaviour and to experience punitive parenting, as reported
by their parents.

Toddlers aged two to three living in low-income households in 1994 had
higher aggressive behaviour scores than their counterparts in
higher-income households. However, the differences in those scores
disappeared by the time the children reached ages eight to nine, six
years later.

Parenting style did not differ by income. The likelihood of a child
being raised with a punitive parenting style was the same for
low-income and higher-income households.

===

[Note to readers

This release is based on a research paper entitled "Aggressive
Behaviour Outcomes for Young Children: Change in Parenting Environment
Predicts Change in Behaviour."

Data used in this study were taken from the National Longitudinal
Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), a long-term study of Canadian
children that collects information on a wide range of factors
influencing the social, emotional and behavioural development of
children from birth to early adulthood. The NLSCY began in 1994 and is
jointly conducted by Statistics Canada and Social Development Canada,
formerly Human Resources Development Canada.

This release reports on data provided by parents of about 2,000
children who were two to three years old in 1994 and eight to nine
years old in 2000. The report focuses on their parenting styles and on
the behaviour patterns of their children.

Definitions

Child aggressive behaviour: To measure aggressive behaviour in
children, the NLSCY asked parents how often their child behaved or
reacted in aggressive ways, such as whether they got into many fights,
or how often they bullied or were mean to others. A score for
aggressive behaviour was calculated from their responses to these
questions.

Punitive parenting style: Punitive parenting was measured by asking
parents how often they used physical punishment, or yelled and shouted
at the child and, on the other hand, how often they calmly discussed
the problem or described more acceptable behaviour to the child.
Responses were tallied to create a punitive parenting practices score
for the child's home. For the purposes of this study, a parenting
style was considered to be punitive if the score was at or above the
score nearest to the 90th percentile.

Income status: Income status in this study was measured as the ratio
of household income to the relevant low-income cut-off level (LICO)
for each family. Low income families are those who devote a larger
share of income to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing than
the average equivalent family would. Households in this study were
divided into two groups: "low income," where the household fell below
the LICO; and "higher income," where the household income fell at or
above the LICO.]

[http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/.../td041025.htm]



*Joke.








--
The danger to the life and well-being of children
increases in direct proportion to their proximity
to religion and its practitioners.
-Ivan Gowch

Punitive parenting style: Punitive parenting was measured by asking
parents how often they used physical punishment, or yelled and shouted
at the child and, on the other hand, how often they calmly discussed
the problem or described more acceptable behaviour to the child.
Responses were tallied to create a punitive parenting practices score
for the child's home. For the purposes of this study, a parenting
style was considered to be punitive if the score was at or above the
score nearest to the 90th percentile.


According to this definition of "punitive parenting", about 90% of parents
in Canada are non-punitive. I guess there must be alot of spanking
parents included in this "non-punitive" group. Don't you just love these
"pro-spanking apologists in academia", Ivan? ;-)

Doan

And so, there are now Republicans residing in the Dominion of Canada?

Ivan the Terrible feels he can diss Our President?

endency
to vote Republican.*

* Joke.

Thanks, Ivan, for once again pointing this out to the ng.

LaVonne

Ivan Gowch wrote:

It's been pointed out here many times, but
it's always worth pointing out once again:

A slew of studies over the years have produced
similar, if not identical, results:

Children raised in homes where punishment --
let alone physical assault -- is a feature of life
grow up measurably more aggressive and
prone to violence than children raised by
parents who employ non-punitive child-raising
techniques.

The attached report on research by Statistics Canada
is only the latest in a long line of studies over
several decades that, taken together, leave no room
for doubt: Being raised with punishment, let alone
violence at the hands of their parents, is very, very
bad for children.

Parents should note that the damage caused children
by being raised in a punitive environment throughout
childhood are not transitory; the ill effects tend to
stay with a person through his/her lifetime.

"Researchers have found links between aggression in
childhood and poor outcomes later in life. These
outcomes may include aggression, delinquency, and
crime in adolescence and adulthood; poor school
results; unemployment in adulthood; and other negative
circumstances."

The "other negative circumstances," as identified in
other studies, include depression, substance abuse,
low self-esteem, difficulty dealing with authority,
committing spousal and/or child abuse and a tendency
to vote Republican.*

The good news in the study is that if parents abandon
their punitive styles early enough, the negative
effects tend to diminish over time, but that simply
reinforces the unmistakable conclusion that the
more punishment children are subjected to, the
worse their behaviour can be expected to become.

It is for these reasons that nearly all North
American organizations of professionals who deal with
children and adolescents have taken public positions
opposing corporal punishment.

Under the circumstances, it's reasonable to
conclude that parents who still believe that
deliberately causing their children pain in the
name of "discipline" isn't destructive to their health
and welfare are hopelessly incompetent and not fit to
care for children.
===


Monday, October 25, 2004

Parenting style and children's aggressive behaviour - 1994 to 2000

Children who live in homes where punitive parenting techniques are
used are more likely than others to exhibit aggressive behaviour,
according to a new study. However, children raised with a punitive
parenting style at very young ages are not more aggressive than other
children when they're older, if the parenting style becomes less
punitive over time.

The study found that children aged two to three years who were living
in punitive environments in 1994 scored 39% higher on a scale of
aggressive behaviours, such as bullying or being mean to others, than
did those in less punitive environments.

The difference was even more pronounced six years later in 2000, when
the children were eight to nine years old. Those who lived in punitive
homes scored 83% higher on the aggressive behaviour scale than those
in less punitive homes.

Both at age two to three and also at age eight to nine, children
raised in a non-punitive parenting environment were much less likely
than others to exhibit aggressive behaviour, according to their
parents.

It is important to emphasize that this study does not prove that
punitive parenting causes aggressive behaviour in children. However,
it does reinforce earlier research and theory which have proposed that
punitive parenting styles may lead to increased aggressive behaviour
in children.

Aggressive behaviour in young children is of considerable interest
because of its implications for future behaviour and adjustment.
Researchers have found links between aggression in childhood and poor
outcomes later in life. These outcomes may include aggression,
delinquency, and crime in adolescence and adulthood; poor school
results; unemployment in adulthood; and other negative circumstances.

This study, based on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of
Children and Youth (NLSCY), expands on what is known about the
relationship between early home environments and later behaviour.

-Change in parenting environment predicts change in child's behaviour-

The study found that the tendency toward aggressive behaviour observed
in some children did not necessarily persist. When parenting styles
that had been punitive when children were two to three years old
became less punitive six years later, children's aggressive behaviour
scores also tended to be lower, regardless of how aggressively they
had behaved while very young.

In other words, children whose parenting environment changed from
punitive at age two to three to non-punitive at age eight to nine
scored just as low in aggressive behaviour as those whose parenting
environment was not punitive at either of those ages.

Likewise, children whose parenting environment changed from
non-punitive to punitive had aggressive behaviour scores that were
just as high as those whose parenting environment was punitive at both
ages.

-Aggressive behaviour linked to parenting style, regardless of sex or
income-

Children of parents whose style was punitive were more likely to score
high on the aggression scale than children living in less punitive
environments at both ages, regardless of their sex or their household
income level.

The study found that girls and boys were equally likely to exhibit
aggressive behaviour and to experience punitive parenting, as reported
by their parents.

Toddlers aged two to three living in low-income households in 1994 had
higher aggressive behaviour scores than their counterparts in
higher-income households. However, the differences in those scores
disappeared by the time the children reached ages eight to nine, six
years later.

Parenting style did not differ by income. The likelihood of a child
being raised with a punitive parenting style was the same for
low-income and higher-income households.

===

[Note to readers

This release is based on a research paper entitled "Aggressive
Behaviour Outcomes for Young Children: Change in Parenting Environment
Predicts Change in Behaviour."

Data used in this study were taken from the National Longitudinal
Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), a long-term study of Canadian
children that collects information on a wide range of factors
influencing the social, emotional and behavioural development of
children from birth to early adulthood. The NLSCY began in 1994 and is
jointly conducted by Statistics Canada and Social Development Canada,
formerly Human Resources Development Canada.

This release reports on data provided by parents of about 2,000
children who were two to three years old in 1994 and eight to nine
years old in 2000. The report focuses on their parenting styles and on
the behaviour patterns of their children.

Definitions

Child aggressive behaviour: To measure aggressive behaviour in
children, the NLSCY asked parents how often their child behaved or
reacted in aggressive ways, such as whether they got into many fights,
or how often they bullied or were mean to others. A score for
aggressive behaviour was calculated from their responses to these
questions.

Punitive parenting style: Punitive parenting was measured by asking
parents how often they used physical punishment, or yelled and shouted
at the child and, on the other hand, how often they calmly discussed
the problem or described more acceptable behaviour to the child.
Responses were tallied to create a punitive parenting practices score
for the child's home. For the purposes of this study, a parenting
style was considered to be punitive if the score was at or above the
score nearest to the 90th percentile.

Income status: Income status in this study was measured as the ratio
of household income to the relevant low-income cut-off level (LICO)
for each family. Low income families are those who devote a larger
share of income to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing than
the average equivalent family would. Households in this study were
divided into two groups: "low income," where the household fell below
the LICO; and "higher income," where the household income fell at or
above the LICO.]

[http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/.../td041025.htm]



*Joke.








--
The danger to the life and well-being of children
increases in direct proportion to their proximity
to religion and its practitioners.
-Ivan Gowch

Fern,

The last time I checked, both Canada and the USA had free speech. Free
speech allows one to criticize one's own government as well as the
government of other countries. Perhaps you missed this bit of
information.

Yes, Ivan can "diss Our President" if he so chooses. What would you
recommend? A government that kills individuals who speak out against
their government or the government of other countries? Democracy allows
people the right to speak their opinion, even if that opinion is
different from yours.

LaVonne



Fern5827 wrote:

And so, there are now Republicans residing in the Dominion of Canada?

Ivan the Terrible feels he can diss Our President?


endency
to vote Republican.*


* Joke.

On 30 Oct 2004 19:40:22 GMT, (Fern5827) wrote:

==Ivan the Terrible feels he can diss Our President?

Well actually, Fern, if you are referring to me,
not only do I feel that I can "diss" your smirking,
stupid, sociopathic, drunken, Bible-blasted,
ignorant ****head of a military deserter and
unelected president, I feel it is my moral duty.

It's everyone's moral duty. . . .

Let me guess. You voted for Kerry. ;-)

Doan

On Tue, 2 Nov 2004, Ivan Gowch wrote:

On 30 Oct 2004 19:40:22 GMT, (Fern5827) wrote:

==Ivan the Terrible feels he can diss Our President?

Well actually, Fern, if you are referring to me,
not only do I feel that I can "diss" your smirking,
stupid, sociopathic, drunken, Bible-blasted,
ignorant ****head of a military deserter and
unelected president, I feel it is my moral duty.

It's everyone's moral duty. . . .

And as I'm sure you know, Ivan, the people of this country just elected
him for another four years. This is the most frightening outcome of a
presidential election that I can ever remember.

LaVonne

Ivan Gowch wrote:
On 30 Oct 2004 19:40:22 GMT, (Fern5827) wrote:

==Ivan the Terrible feels he can diss Our President?

Well actually, Fern, if you are referring to me,
not only do I feel that I can "diss" your smirking,
stupid, sociopathic, drunken, Bible-blasted,
ignorant ****head of a military deserter and
unelected president, I feel it is my moral duty.

It's everyone's moral duty. . . .

Doan,

Ivan lives in Canada. Unless he has retained US citizenship and voted
absentee, he would not have been voting in this or any other US
election. However, this does not eradicate his right to expressing his
opinion on US election outcomes or US government administration.

LaVonne

Doan wrote:

Let me guess. You voted for Kerry. ;-)

Doan

On Tue, 2 Nov 2004, Ivan Gowch wrote:


On 30 Oct 2004 19:40:22 GMT, (Fern5827) wrote:

==Ivan the Terrible feels he can diss Our President?

Well actually, Fern, if you are referring to me,
not only do I feel that I can "diss" your smirking,
stupid, sociopathic, drunken, Bible-blasted,
ignorant ****head of a military deserter and
unelected president, I feel it is my moral duty.

It's everyone's moral duty. . . .

Fern doesn't respond. How very typical. Fern has no logical response
so "she" once again plays the avoidance game.

LaVonne

Carlson LaVonne wrote:

Fern,

The last time I checked, both Canada and the USA had free speech. Free
speech allows one to criticize one's own government as well as the
government of other countries. Perhaps you missed this bit of information.

Yes, Ivan can "diss Our President" if he so chooses. What would you
recommend? A government that kills individuals who speak out against
their government or the government of other countries? Democracy allows
people the right to speak their opinion, even if that opinion is
different from yours.

LaVonne



Fern5827 wrote:

And so, there are now Republicans residing in the Dominion of Canada?

Ivan the Terrible feels he can diss Our President?


endency
to vote Republican.*



* Joke.