A 50-year study has proven smacking is linked to aggressive and anti-social behaviour. Photo / 123RF
A 50-year study of 160,000 children has proved the more children are smacked, the more aggressive and anti-social they become.
The mammoth research, published in the Journal of Family Psychology, concluded that hitting children for bad behaviour has similar effects to physical abuse.
"The upshot of the study is that
spanking increases the likelihood of a wide variety of undesired outcomes," said Dr Andrew Grogan-Kaylor.
"Spanking thus does the opposite of what parents usually want it to do."
The study defined "spanking" as an open-handed hit on the arms, legs or backside.
Around 80 per cent of children around the globe are disciplined in this way.
