Ending the Physical Punishment of Children: A Guide for Clinicians and Practitioners

Although many parents use spankings and other forms of corporal punishment to discipline their children, research shows that the practice harms children and is ineffective at changing their behavior. This book presents 15 effective interventions designed to prevent and stop parents from physically punishing their children.

Each chapter of the book reviews a different intervention, summarizes its evidence base, generalizability across populations and contexts, and ease of implementation in community and mental health settings. Some strategies explicitly discourage parents from using physical punishment, while others focus on teaching alternative ways to manage children’s behavior. Some can be incorporated into individual, family, or group therapy, while others educate the public in hospitals or other community settings. All of the strategies will help parents change their behavior in ways that promote their children’s healthy development. Therapists, social workers, other community health and safety professionals, and policy makers will all appreciate the diverse array of strategies represented in the book.