Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Corresponding Author: Elizabeth T. Dean Keeton St. Several medical professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend that parents avoid hitting children for disciplinary purposes e.
The extent to which medical professionals continue to endorse spanking is unknown. This study is the first to examine attitudes about spanking among staff throughout medical settings, including non-direct care staff. Men, staff who report being religious, and staff who held non-direct care positions at the medical center reported stronger endorsement of spanking and perceived their co-workers to be more strongly in favor of spanking.
Non-direct care staff were more supportive of spanking compared with direct care staff on every item assessed. All staff underestimated the extent to which their co-workers held negative views of spanking. If medical centers and other medical settings are to lead the charge in informing the community about the harms of spanking, comprehensive staff education about spanking is indicated. Thus, the majority of American parents continue to approve of and to use hitting as a form of discipline i.
Despite approval of spanking in the majority of American homes, there are reasons for concern about its continued use. Currently, children are the only people in U. Especially concerning are findings that children who are spanked are at higher risk for physical abuse. Thus, as of 18 years ago, the majority of pediatricians were accepting of spanking, at least in some circumstances.
Studies of spanking attitudes among medical professionals other than doctors are rare. A second study was a survey of all members of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, the majority of which were physicians, nurses, counselors, and social workers. We are aware of no other studies of spanking attitudes among direct care staff.
