Abused moms will spank kids

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-22 11:49

Moms who suffered physical abuse or other violent experiences in childhood are much more likely to spank their infants than moms who did not suffer these adverse childhood experiences, results of a new study indicate.

This study provides more evidence that a mother's past experiences in her own childhood have a "huge impact on how she approaches her own children", says Dr Esther K. Chung from Jefferson Pediatrics/duPont Children's Health Program in Philadelphia.

Among a group of 1,265 mostly black, single, low-income mothers of infants up to 11 months old, Chung and colleagues discovered that 19 percent said they "valued" corporal punishment as a means of discipline and 14 percent reported spanking their infants.