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in 1990 and 1991 for the Ontario Health Supplement
Survey. After ruling out responses that clearly indicated a
history of physical or sexual abuse, MacMillan was left
with nearly 4,900 subjects.
The respondents then took a standardized test to determine
if they had an anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder,
alcohol abuse or dependence disorder, or major
externalizing problem (such as drug abuse or antisocial
behavior).
MacMillan found that adults who recalled being spanked or
slapped "sometimes" or "often" were at twice the risk of an
alcohol-related disorder or developing a drug abuse or
antisocial behavior problem and 43 percent more likely to
develop anxiety disorders.
Where does the rod fit in?
But is spanking actually to blame? According to
MacMillan, there are three major possibilities. One, there
may be a direct causal relationship between corporal
punishment and these disorders. Two, slapping or spanking
may have accompanied some damaging form of
punishment, such as harsh verbal discipline. Finally, these
psychiatric disorders could have been in place before the
slapping or spanking. But while the third idea is
scientifically valid, MacMillan suggests that it's unlikely
that, for example, children had alcohol problems before
they were spanked.
MacMillan openly admits to supporting a campaign to
repeal a section of Canada's Criminal Code that permits the
use of "reasonable force" by parents to discipline their
children. In her view, "spanking or slapping sends a
message that aggression is an effective way to get others to
do what someone wants them to do."
In a related editorial, University of New Hampshire
professor Murray Straus argues that spanking teaches
children that hitting is somehow the morally right way to
correct behavior.
Straus, who feels that the word "spanking" is a cultural
euphemism for hitting, believes that the United States
should join countries such as Sweden and Denmark in
banning spanking. "I think it's not only bad for kids, I think
it's bad for the whole society," says Straus. "It certainly
works, it would be silly to deny that. But in the short run it
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