I read that spanking children gives them ptsd. is this true?

Spanking: Feel free to read the aap's official stance on spanking. Discipline is very different based on the culture of a society & of a family. There are certain boundaries that we all agree should not be crossed. Discipline, of any kind, is a part of the parent-child relationship & extreme forms can damage relationships. It is not justifiable, though, to make a blanket statement that is leads to ptsd.

Not necessarily.: For a diagnosis of ptsd, the precipitating trauma must be experienced as a risk of serious injury or death and result in fear, horror or helplessness. So it would depend on how frightening the spanking was to the victim or observer. Spanking is almost never the best discipline method. It teaches that force and pain are justified out of "love, " but mild spanking probably rarely causes ptsd.

Spanking and PTSD: Probably not, but they will certainly resent you later on in life. Teaching children to behave or conform takes patience, warmth, and words. Don't use your hands to try to get a point across - it teaches the wrong thing.

Generally no: Mild to moderate corporal punishment does not tend to result in PTSD symptoms in children. Severely abusing them, on the other hand, can increase risks for PTSD symptoms.

Matter of degree: Corporeal punishment and abuse lie along the same continuum, and what separates the two is a matter of degree. Most parents who spank their children are not abusive, but childhood abuse definitely has potential for causing PTSD. Mental health professionals often have difficulty with corporeal punishment because hitting communicates a great deal more than what is intended.