《中英對照讀新聞》Spanking harmful to children’s mental health 打屁股對孩子的精神健康有害

◎陳正健

Many parents consider spanking as a softer and safer corporal punishment for their "undisciplined" and "unrepentant" children. But a 50-year-long study suggests angry parents should think twice before resorting to spanking because it can be detrimental to children’s mental health.

許多父母認為，打屁股是一種較溫和、較安全的體罰方式，以管教他們「不守紀律」和「頑固不化」的孩子。但一項長達50年的研究建議，生氣的家長在打孩子屁股前應三思，因為這可能有害孩子的精神健康。

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According to a study recently published in the Journal of Family Psychology, spanking children increases their risk of developing mental problems. Researchers of the study analyzed five decades of data, following the life of 160, 000 children. They found a positive correlation between the experience of having been spanked as a child and the possibility of developing mental health problems or exhibiting anti-social behavior.

根據最近刊登在《家庭心理學期刊》的一項研究，打小孩屁股會增加他們產生精神問題的風險。研究人員分析50年的資料，追蹤16萬名兒童的生活。他們發現，童年被打屁股體罰，與發生精神問題或展現反社會行為，有著明確的相關性。

The study also revealed that parents who have been spanked as children are more likely to spank their own children in order to discipline them. Researchers advise parents infuriated by their naughty children to consider using positive forms of discipline, because spanking is inefficient and what’s worse, it can be as harmful as physical abuse.

研究也揭露，父母自己童年時若曾被打屁股，更有可能以相同方式對待自己的孩子，以使他們遵守紀律。研究人員建議，家長被頑皮的孩子激怒時，應考慮使用正向的教養方式，因為打屁股是無效的，而且更糟的是，這跟虐待身體同樣具有傷害性。

Elizabeth Gershoff of the University of Texas at Austin said some people spank because they were spanked - it’s passed down from generation to generation, Others may do it because their religious background suggests it’s okay.

美國德州大學奧斯汀分校學者伊麗莎白．傑秀夫指出，某些人打孩子屁股，是因為他們也曾有相同遭遇，這是一代接著一代傳下來的。其他人也可能這麼做，因為他們的宗教背景建議此乃可行之事。

新聞辭典

Spank：動詞/名詞，打屁股。例句：The angry mother gave her son a good spanking. （生氣的母親痛打兒子的屁股。）

Undisciplined：形容詞，散漫的，無教養的。例句：Steve was talented, but lazy and undisciplined.（史蒂夫很有天份，但他既懶惰又不守紀律。）

detrimental：形容詞，有害的，不利的。例句：Lack of sleep is detrimental to one’s health.（缺乏睡眠有害健康。）