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The old adage “spare the rod, spoil the child” might not ring true anymore.  A new study in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found that spanking could lead to mental health issues for children down the line in to adulthood.

SEE ALSO: Growing Up With White Parents

According to the study’s researchers, they equate such aggressive acts as hitting, shoving, or grabbing a child to eventually lead to mood disorders, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia (avoiding situations that you’re afraid might cause you to panic), alcohol and drug abuse and dependence, social phobias, severe personality disorders, and even depression.

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Watch this Father beat his son here:

“We’re not talking about just a tap on the bum,” said study author Tracie Afifi, an assistant professor in the department of community health sciences at the University of Manitoba, in Winnipeg. “We were looking at people who used physical punishment as a regular means to discipline their children.”

Studies have been done in the past that suggest Blacks tend to whip, paddle, spank, and use other disciplinary tools on their children more so than any other ethnic group.

Watch the incident of a Mother who was arrested for beating her son with an extension cord, after she found him sagging his pants:

A 2011 University of Texas study concluded that a whopping 89 percent of Blacks spank their children.  As far as the reasons why Blacks tend to discipline their children more harshly, according to clinical researchers, the legacy of slavery is likely one major cause or it may just be that Blacks are more intolerant of disobedient children.

Still, Texas researchers contend that Black communities in which people have a disproportionately lower income and are less educated are more likely to physically punish their children.

The current Journal study also found that reports of harsh physical punishment were more common in African-American homes than in Caucasian, Asian-American, or Pacific-Islander households.

The Journal’s authors concluded that the nation’s health practitioners should not mince their words when advising parents on physical punishment, “[Spanking, smacking, and slapping] should not be used on children of any age.”  Pediatricians are also encouraged to come up with strategies that would help parents induce a desired behavior in their children.

Spanking in the United States rarely leads to legal repercussions, but as of late, there have been online videos of parents harshly disciplining their children, igniting angry cries of intolerance toward this method of discipline.

What do you think?

Study: Spanking Children Linked To Mental Health Issues  was originally published on newsone.com