Physical Punishment and Mental Disorders - Essay Example

? Physical Punishment and Mental Disorders First Physical Punishment and Mental Disorders: Results from a Nationally Representative US Sample Research methods Looking at the methods used in this survey, the interview was conducted face to face and respondents were asked to report instances in their lifetime when they think they experienced physical punishment. And to ensure the data collected represented the general US population, statistical weights were applied whereby descriptive statistics were computed to get the social demographic distribution of the sample, then regression was used to establish the relationship between physical punishment without maltreatment and axis I and II mental disorders then Population attribute fractions were measured for each association that existed between physical punishment and mental disorders and finally gender differences were examined in relation to the mental disorders. This article describes correlational research as opposed to experimental research. We can tell this from the fact that from the study, participants were asked randomly to report instances in their childhood when they recall being slapped, spanked, hit, pushed or shoved by their parents or adults around them and then the correlation was examined between the self report and instances of family dysfunctions like alcohol and drug abuse and Axis I and II mental disorders (Afifi et al, 2012). No variable was manipulated; all that was done was measuring the variables to identify the relationship between them meaning it was purely correlation. From these data, there are no implications for drawing causal conclusions since causal relations can only be brought about by manipulations and this can only be concluded from experimental research. Data from correlational research like this cannot imply causality. The main hypothesis for this study was to determine if physical punishment increases the likelihood of having Axis I and II mental disorders and also to determine what proportion of mental disorders experienced in the general population can be linked to mental illnesses. The population of interest for this study was the US since use of physical punishment had been abolished in most nations and the sample was drawn from the data collected from the second wave of the NESARC that was collected between the years 2004 and 2005.There are no issues about generalizing from the samples of the population from the sample represents the population as it was drawn as a representative of adults residing in the United States (Afifi et al, 2012). The variables involved in this research are instances of physical punishment and cases of Axis I and II mental disorders. This is a correlational study and does not determine causation but in this case, it would be possible to say that the existence of physical punishment was the independent variable and rate of mental disorders was the dependent variable. These findings from this study are free of both internal and external validity issues as well as ethical issues. The research was to measure how physical punishment correlates with Axis I and II mental disorders and it was established that physical punishment was associated with increased mental disorders and the results found was applicable to the entire population. Internally the data depended on the recall of the participant and there is evidence that supports the validity of accurate recall of adverse childhood events (Afifi et al, 2012). Press Release Spanking can lead to detrimental mental health! Did you know that spanking, smacking and corporal punishments can affect your Childs mental health in the future? Yes, according to a recent research published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, it was established that there exists a possible link between harsh physical punishments such as slapping, grabbing, shoving pushing and hitting and Axis I mental disorders which included dysthmia, major depression, mood and anxiety disorders as well as Axis II mental disorders which mostly consists of different clusters of personality disorders such as schizotypal, antisocial and avoidant personalities (Afifi et al, 2012). These findings were based on the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and related conditions (NESARC) representing a sample of 34653 civilian noninstitutionalized adults aged twenty and above residing in the United States. The interviews were conducted face to face and physical punishment was assessed by asking the respondents on how often they were pushed, hit, grabbed, shoved or spanked by their parents or adults around them. The study puts into consideration measures of sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, marital status, race and level of education as well as assessing the family history of dysfunction like alcoholism and attempted suicide. It was established that there existed a significant correlation between harsh physical punishment and mental disorders like major depression, mania, and dysthmia anxiety disorder and alcohol abuse (Afifi et al, 2012). Up until today, we have always associated physical punishment with aggression and suppressed childhood memories but this gives more insights on the relationship between harsh punishment and mental disorders. So the next time you walk around in your daily interactions and wonder why there are increased cases of mental health, you might want to consider an alternative approach in how you discipline your children as the study suggests that by doing away with physical punishment we are able to reduce cases of mental health (Afifi et al, 2012). Alternative hypothesis The findings from the National Epidemiological survey on Alcohol and Related conditions (NESARC) expands on the knowledge of the correlation between harsh physical punishment and Axis I and II mental disorders which we commonly encounter in present day society. From the study, we establish that independent of child maltreatment; harsh physical punishment increases the chances of mental disorders. Further, there is an approximate reduction of between 2% and 5% of Axis I disorders and about 7% for Axis II disorders if harsh physical punishment did not exist meaning apart from physical punishments, there are other factors that influence mental disorders (Afifi et al, 2012). The study did not include the presence of severe child maltreatment like sexual abuse and neglect both physically and emotionally and increases in levels of education and amount of income were linked to high levels of physical punishment but we are not told why. The study has limitations in that it does not explain what causes the relationship between harsh physical punishment and mental disorders. Also the measure of history of family dysfunction depended on the respondents recall and this might have impacted the results (Afifi et al, 2012). Now that this study has established the correlation between Physical punishment and mental disorders, the nest research should be focused on determining the causal effect. Is it mental disorders that lead to physical punishments or is it physical punishment that is the cause of mental disorder? This study will involve samples from the US representative population who have experienced physical punishment and another sample from a different nation where physical punishment was banned and hence the sample has never experienced physical punishment. The study will involve survey interviews from both populations and statistical methods of regression and Population-attribution fractions will be used to ensure validity in the generalization of the data to reflect the entire population. Cases of mental disorders will be examined in both populations. The study will be correlational and not experimental as there will be no variables being manipulated, only the comparison of prevalence of mental cases between the populations with no physical punishment to the one which experiences physical punishment will be examined. The variables to be measured would be the existence of physical punishment and cases of mental disorders reported in a particular sample. Alternative explanations of the data will be ruled out by collecting a longitudinally in a representative general population as opposed to the cross-sectional method used. This study will be important because once we establish if mental illnesses are as a result of physical punishments or vice versa, then just like the study done on establishing the association between physical punishment and Axis I and II mental disorders, the statement to be proposed in this study to determine the causal effect between mental disorders and physical punishment would be to completely abolish the use of physical punishment no matter the situation (Afifi et al, 2012). However this will not be enough, it will be of essence to provide alternatives to physical punishment by setting up policies that prevent mental disorders but still discipline children because at the end children will always be children and the need to instill discipline should never be compromised. Reference Afifi, T. O., Mota, N. P., Dasiewicz, P., MacMillan, H. L., & Sareen, J. (2012). Physical Punishment and Mental Disorders: Results From a Nationally Representative US Sample. Pediatrics, 130 (2), 184-192. Read More