Effects Of Physical Punishment And Physical Abuse

The actions of physical punishment and physical abuse both intend to cause harm to a child, but to different severities; despite the difference in degree of physical harm and in the difference of the definitions of each themselves, it is difficult to state whether there are any actual differences in effects between physical punishment and physical abuse. Although there is variance between the definitions of both physical punishment and physical abuse, the definition typically used for physical punishment developed by Straus (1994) states that it is, “the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain but not injury for the purposes of correction or control of the child’s behavior” (Gershoff, 2002, p. 602)., while

Despite an overall agreement of the short-term effects of physical abuse, little research has been conducted on the long-term effects; in a literature review, researchers Robin Malinosky-Rummell, and David Hanson (1993) reviewed the long-term effects physical abuse across several studies and split their research into seven different domains: aggressive and violent behavior, nonviolent criminal behavior, substance abuse, self-injurious and suicidal behavior, emotional problems, interpersonal problems and academic difficulties. While doing their literature reviews, they compared the rates of abuse history in at least two samples, compared the behaviors of groups with a history of abuse with those of a non-abused sample, and looked at designs that assessed behaviors of a sample at two or more different points in time. In their research for a relationship between physical abuse as a child and aggressiveness and violence as an adult, they found that approximately 30% of physically abused children grow to abuse their own children, childhood physical abuse is weakly linked to dating violence in college students, and it is related to spousal abuse for men, but not for women (Rummell & Hanson, 1993). Their research on a relationship between physical abuse and nonviolent criminal behavior showed no relationship, but they did find a relationship between substance abuse and abuse; physically abused individuals tend to have more alcoholism disorders and abuse drugs and alcohol at a higher rate than their non-abused counterparts (Rummell & Hanson, 1993). Per their literature review, physical abuse has also been linked to emotional problems and self-injurious/suicidal behavior as well; no relationship was found between physical abuse and interpersonal relationship