​GENERAL DAMAGE
There is a varying array of damages associated with harsh corporal punishment.  Spanking, belting, caning, paddling, whipping, slapping, et cetera, being examples.  We live with these damages on a daily basis, but can no longer refuse the evidence that while we can subjectively state "I am okay" we could in all honesty be better.  People look at these skeptically, believing the children we are referring to in studies and physical sciences were "abusively spanked" when in fact, they were not.

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A child's mind is developing, most critically between the ages of 1 to 5, and continues to do so through adolescence.  Every action and experience they encounter not only alters their brain chemistry, but the architecture of their brain as well.  Every experience influences future experiences, future alterations, and the future of your finally developed brain.

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If you are hit, you are flooded with fight or flight senses and a reactive neurological pathway will be formed.  For each pathway, a series of pathways are born, of each a series of pathways web off of.  This influences how you behave later in childhood and adulthood as well.  This also raises blood pressure, cortisol and adrenaline levels.  It creates aggression and resentment and decreases a child's bond and admiration for their parent.

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The use of force, threat of force, and aggressive verbal altercations are initiators of an energy saver mode.  Parents may be surprised to hear that their child's brain activity is frozen, thus, your child does not learn a thing despite your wishes.  They freeze, enter a zombie mode, and this only makes you angrier as they zone out from you. 

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The damage discussed also interferes with and depresses the dopamine system.  Children with ADHD are examples of the impacts of a lack of these essential neurotransmitters.  They are unfocused, unorganized, hyperactive, easily frustrated, and impulsive as a direct result of such brain chemistry.

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This will all lead to behavior that the spanker believes to be deemed worthy of another painful reaction as well as frustrate the guardian, and thus sets the child in question up for failure in a vicious cycle.  The more you hit, the more damage.  Hitting is damage of the young mind and perpetuates more as a result.

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Since there is an abundance of dopamine receptors in childhood, the effects of these vanishing cells may not be evident until much later.  During the pruning phase, 40 percent of the dopamine receptors shed and the resulting insult to their health are discussed more in depth in MENTAL HEALTH and BEHAVIORAL IMPACTS below.

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An assessment score known as Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACE's, surveyed and concluded that the well-being of an adult is directly linked to traumatic and problematic experiences as a youth.  They are as follows:

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1.  Emotional Abuse

2.  Physical Threats or Physical Assault

3.  Sexual Abuse

4.  Emotional Neglect

5.  Physical Neglect

6.  Parents Separated or Divorced

7.  Domestic Violence Towards a Matriarch (mother/grandma)

8.  Household Member a Substance Abuser

9.  Household Member Depressed, Mentually Ill, or Suicidal

10. Household Member Went to Prison

11.  Death of a Family Member

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Eliminating physical threats and assaults would make for happier and healthier beings.  The related health issues are found in the PHYSICAL HEALTH subsection.

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The ability to become abusive and cause serious injury is a profound possibility.  DAMAGES TO THE SPANKER explains the severity of this reality.

"The repeated findings that corporal punishment increases the risk for physical abuse is consistent with the notion of a continuum of violence against children that ranges from minor to severe.  The evidence that corporal punishment and physical abuse are not distinct and are in fact variations of the same act against a child is INDISPUTABLE."

-Dr. Elizabeth Gershoff

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MENTAL HEALTH

Harsh Punishment is directly associated with increased odds of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol and narcotics experimentation and dependence, and several personality disorders.  2-5% of Axis I disorders and 2-7% of Axis II disorders were attributable to corporal punishment.

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Preexisting mental disorders are aggravated by pain and threats of pain, rather than cured as is a common idea.

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Alcohol and narcotics experimentation and addiction are more rewarding experiences to a teenager with a depressed dopamine system.  Significantly higher risks of depression, self harm and suicide are also apparent.



MRI scans taken in 2011 show that children exposed to violence in childhood have similar brain activity to soldiers in combat.  MRIs showed heightened activity in the anterior insula and the amygdala, which are implicated in anxiety disorders later in life and associated with threat detection.  These regions of their brains flared when the children were shown images of angry faces.
 

The hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and frontal lobe also suffer irreparable damage.
 

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BEHAVIORAL IMPACTS
Physically punitive environments fostered an increase in anti-social behavior, such as lying and stealing.  They also showed an increased ability to lie to conceal their transgressions.  Substantially worse behavior was viewed overall in comparison to the non-spanked groups.

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​Children experience what is known as a cascade​ effect.  Meaning that children who were spanked at 1yo had moderately worse behavior at 3yo, and had much worse behavior by 5yo. 

Compound Effect:  Behaviors were worse in environments where verbal hostility and physical assaults were present.

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The act is traumatizing.  Children who are victims of legal domestic violence at the hands of their only biological saviors, exhibit symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress and Battered Person Syndrome.  With an increase in intensity and frequency, these symptoms become more severe and life changing.  These symptoms often go unnoticed and untreated or are mislabeled as "normal" in spanked children. Examples:

Incontinence:  Prolonged bed wetting and the like



Night Terrors:  Also called nightmares, sometimes morbid

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Shame:  Deep embarrassment, humiliation or mortification.

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Self-Blame:  Especially when convinced it was their fault.

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Subjugation:  Feeling belittled, dehumanized, lowered in dominance and powerless as a direct result of the trauma.

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Morbid Hatred:  Obsessions of vengeance and intent to hurt or humiliate the perpetrator, with or without rage.

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Paradoxical Gratitude:  Ironic positive feelings toward the attacker.

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Defilement:  Feeling dirty, disgusted, disgusting, bad and rotten.

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Resignation:  A state of broken will or disrepair, associated with repetitive victimization or prolonged exploitation.

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Revictimization:  What was the reaction the first time someone asked them about it, or spoke lightly of a spanking?  How did they respond?  How do they respond when they first saw another receiving it?

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As licensed mental health counselor and psychotherapist, Jonathan J. Donahue, writes in Spanking as Sexual Abuse...

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“…Context is also important to consider. For example, children living in severely abusive homes may feel that being spanked is the least of their problems, and they may be right. Others have been brainwashed by their parents and other authorities into believing the beatings were necessary, and therefore the trauma is repressed. But there are plenty of other kids and adults who became embarrassed and uncomfortable in discussing this subject. The shame is just below the surface, and the memory of helpless humiliation is too intense for casual discussion…"

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Many can become frozen, frightened, unnerved, nauseous, feel ashamed and humiliated, and panic when they think about their childhood sessions, see a child being spanked, or see a weapon used against them.  Many spanked as children, unbeknownst to them, have higher blood pressure and heart beats when engaged in an argument, faced with opposition, faced with a wrong doing, or faced with correction, even of a non violent type, in adulthood.

INTELLECT

Subjects with corporal punishment in the domestic environment had decreased IQ's in comparison to non-spanked subjects and an approximate 19.1% decrease in grey matter.

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Children exposed to corporal punishment also had obvious faults in executive functioning, such as planning, abstract thinking, and delayed gratification.

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Children who are spanked are often mislabeled with ADHD.  These symptoms are hyper, unfocused, aggressive, impulsive, and unorganized, and these kids do not possess the tools, or enough of these tools, to academically succeed.  Not only does this impact their school performance, but their internalization of their studies as well.

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Infants and young children who are spanked for a danger that emerged whilst exploring their environments are going to be less likely to search and discover.  The absence or fear of this necessary learning mechanism leads to developmental delays that follow them for years and adulterates future success.

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BRAIN DAMAGE

Aside from the loss of grey matter, an integral cog in the working clock that is your brain, spanking can also re-hard wire ones brain.  They can accept that pain is acceptable in a loving relationship, can become sexually derailed, and will alter the overall end product of a would-have-been healthy developed and functioning brain.

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Many are familiar with the phrase "perma-fry".  This is when the brain is rewired into producing floods of the neurotransmitter dopamine through habitual manual stimulation.  "Perma-fear" is a similar term.  The more fight or flight is presented, the increased chances of a perma-fear, indefinite floods of cortisol and adrenaline.  This is when the brain reprograms into a constant state of fear and paranoia.  "Tin foil hatters" are the prime source of pro-spank propaganda, however, are the most damaged.

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"One of the things that fascinated me about the research we did with corporal punishment was about 60% of the subjects who had experienced this high level of corporal punishment said that this was one of the best things that ever happened to them and that they're going to do the same thing when they have kids.  And these are the individuals where we could see alterations in their brains."

​- Martin Teicher, MD, PhD

Neuroscience Researcher, Harvard University

McLean Hospital

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PHYSICAL HEALTH

Unbeknownst to many, the release of cortisol, a fight or flight hormone, when we are unable to fight or flee, will begin attacking healthy cells.  Not just brain cells.  It begins breaking down essential proteins in muscles, joints and bones.

Cortisol will also lead to a weakened immune system, leading to a variety of additional ailments.  It also clogs arteries and raise blood pressure and promote heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

In 'No Vital Organs There... So They Say' by Leslie Taylor, MD and Adah Maurer, PhD, we learn that physical punishments lead to a number of other, very serious and life threatening, physical damages.

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Soft tissue injury of various degrees, deep bleeding into the muscles of the buttocks known as hemotoma, and deep muscle scarring. 

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Bruising of the coccyx, causes coccydynia, persistent pain of the tailbone.  Vibrations sent up the back can cause chronic back pains.  Direct blows to the buttocks can fracture the sacrum, the large bone at the lowermost part of the spine.  Many nerves pass through this bone to innervate the pelvic area.  These nerves supply motor function and sensation to the bladder, the rectum, the genitals and the legs.  Accidental tearing of these nerves by a fracture of the sacrum causes problems with the bladder and bowel function, such as an inability to empty the bladder and lax rectal tone, which causes soiling.  Such fractures of the sacrum are often not suspected because proper x-rays are not taken.

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If force misses the buttocks and strikes the upper thighs by mistake, it can bruise the sciatic nerves which are close to the surface and also supply motor function to the legs.  Accidental paralysis, temporary and permanent, can occur especially if a weapon is used.

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Nerve roots of the cauda equina supply sensation to the genitals in both males and females, and control erection in boys. Fractures of the sacrum which can tear these roots would cause loss of sensation of the genitalia and inability to attain erection in boys.

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Accidental damage to the genitalia can also occur, whether from direct accidental damage to the genitalia or scrotum, or as a result of pressure applied to an object they were bent over.  These children suffer testicular hemetoma, bleeding into the testes, and even excruciating pain, and permanent or semi permanent lameness.  One boy appeared on the operating table 30 minutes after being paddled after one of his testicles came loose from their attachment in the scrotum and twisted 60 degrees, cutting off blood supply.

While girls' reproductive body parts are internal, they are also damaged as a result.  One girl testified that after being paddled, she felt "violated" and was treated for PTSD.  Her period stopped for several months.

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Adults spanked as children showed higher levels of cortisol in their systems as well as higher blood pressures.

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Hundreds of thousands of children are paddled in home and educational institutions in the U.S. every year.  More than 1 out of 10 receive emergency assistance in intensive care units.

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Accidental death is not uncommon.  Prof. Wolpert says his research suggests that peoples inability to gauge how hard they are hitting, leaves you hitting your child harder than you meant.  You are likely hitting your child 40% harder than you think you are.

You have the ability to bite off your own finger as easily as you can bite into a carrot, but an automatic shut off system in your brain forces you to stop.  It does not do this when harming someone else.  So even if you tried smacking your own arm to test the force, you will hit your child harder and cause more harm.  Because the flood of cortisol increases the pain they feel and as children, their pain receptors are far more sensitive than ours and desensitize as they mature, you cause excruciating pain.

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Future physical health is also paramount to take into consideration.  Researchers found a strong link between ACE scores and adult onset of chronic physical illness.  It would be safe to assume that a removal of all that you can control, including physical threats and physical assault, is a duty to the well-being of your child, present and future.

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These ACE results showed that with higher scores, there was an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, chronic pulmonary lung disease, depression, and suicide.  There was also an increased chance of smoking, obesity, alcoholism, highly promiscuous sexual activity, teen pregnancy (including paternity), STD's, poor occupational health and poor job performance.



INTERPERSONAL IMPACTS

As a parents biological duty is to protect and nurture their offspring, youth will slowly subconsciously detach from their parent with every negative encounter, even when followed with love.  This leads to a worse relationship with their family.  This also makes their parent, slowly but surely, a lesser impact than their peers following the pruning phase increasing the chances they will rebel in adolescence.  Children will then also question the teachings previously offered by their guardians.​
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Spanked children have a significantly higher chance of hitting their own children, abusing their children, abusing their spouses, and submitting to abusive relationships.
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They will likely be more unsure of new people, more self conscious, exhibit lower self esteem, and have lower self worth.  There is an increased chance of a higher volume of unsuccessful relationships.
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