What Would Happen If Spanking Were Eliminated across the World?

Background: Abuse of children is a hidden pandemic. A meta-analysis representing 160,927 children worldwide demonstrated strong associations between spanking and physical abuse (Gershoff & Grogan-Kaylor, 2016). In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), approximately 60% of 2- to 14-year-olds are subjected to spanking and other types of physical punishment; the rate of exposure to physical abuse is 17% (United Nations Children’s Fund, 2014). Yet, little is known about the association between spanking and physical abuse in LMICs. This study examines the association between caregivers’ spanking and physical abuse in LMICs and provides estimates of physical abuse cases that might be prevented if spanking were eliminated.

Methods: We used nationally representative data from Rounds 4 and 5 of the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). MICS assessed parenting behaviors with one randomly selected child in the household aged 2 to 14 (Round 4) or aged 1 to 14 (Round 5). Our analyses were based on 156,028 children aged 1 to 4 (mean age = 37 months), the age group at highest risk for being spanked, in 56 LMICs. Household respondents reported spanking (spanked, hit, or slapped child on the bottom with an open hand) and physical abuse (beat child up or hit over and over as hard as one could; hit or slapped child on the face, head or ears) in the past month (1 = yes; 0 = no). A nationally weighted multilevel logistic regression model examined the association between spanking and physical abuse. We calculated predicted probabilities of physical abuse, which we present using natural frequencies. Covariates included child age and sex, whether the respondent believed physical punishment is necessary to raise children properly, respondent’s education and relationship to the child, whether father resided in the household, household wealth quantile, urban or rural residence, and MICS round.

Results: In the past month, 32.1% of children were spanked and 8% were physically abused. Multilevel logistic regression results indicated that spanking was associated with higher odds of physical abuse (OR = 5.73, p <.001) while controlling for covariates. In absolute terms, the predicted probability of physical abuse decreased by 15% comparing children who were spanked (23%) and who were not spanked (8%). When these probabilities were translated to a hypothetical sample of 100 children, the elimination of spanking would result in 4 fewer children who were exposed to physical abuse (change from 7 to 3). In relative terms, this corresponds to a 31% reduction in physical abuse if spanking were eliminated.

Conclusions and Implications: Our findings parallel prior studies connecting spanking to physical abuse and indicate that eliminating spanking is likely to reduce rates of physical abuse. Professionals and child welfare advocates across the world should continue to discourage caregivers from using spanking and promote positive disciplinary practices. Furthermore, results support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Target 16.2 that calls for eliminating all forms of violence against children. Policy implications include legal bans of physical punishment and public campaigns on non-violent discipline, which are likely to protect children from physical abuse.