Giving Compass' Take:

· According to a new study, countries that have banned all forms of corporal punishment experience much lower numbers of violence and fighting among youths. 

· How does corporal punishment impact the way youths develop? How can funders help to increase the understanding of this relationship?

· Read about communication tactics to address issues like corporal punishment in different cultures. 

The findings report 31 percent less physical fighting in young men and 42 percent less physical fighting in young women compared to countries where laws permit corporal punishment both at school and at home.

In countries where there is a partial ban on corporal punishment (such as in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom—where corporal punishment is not banned at home), the level of violence in young men is similar to that in countries with no bans, while the level of violence in women is lower (at 56 percent).

Previous studies have shown a clear relationship between childhood spanking and a host of negative outcomes later on ranging from aggression to mental health problems. In this case, however, the researchers caution that they see an association rather than a causal relationship between legal bans on corporal punishment and violence in youth.

Read the full article about corporal punishment and youth violence by Katherine Gombay-McGill at Futurity.