{
  "abstract": "Background Physical punishment violates children’s rights but is still common in the UK. It has been outlawed in Scotland and Wales but not in England and Northern Ireland. Policymakers in England are currently debating legal reform by amendment of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Research suggests that physical punishment can be harmful and has no benefits. Evidence for detrimental impacts is strongest for child externalising behaviours, while for cognitive outcomes evidence is mixed and UK research lacking. We aimed to examine whether physical punishment is associated with numeracy and verbal ability among UK children.Methods Data came from sweeps 2, 3, and 4 (collected 2004–2008 at child ages 3, 5, and 7 years) of the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). The analytical sample included 13,402 children, of which 8,396 (50.8%) had complete data.Smacking was reported by main caregivers at child ages 3, 5 and 7. Binary variables were derived for each time point (any smacking reported, yes or no) then summed to indicate the number of sweeps children were exposed to smacking (never, one sweep, two sweeps, three sweeps). Numeracy and verbal ability were assessed at age 7, using the National Foundation for Educational Research Progress in Maths (adapted) measure and British Ability Scales Word Reading scale, respectively. Missing data were handled by multiple imputation. Multiple linear regression was used to assess associations between physical punishment and cognitive outcomes, adjusting for key covariates and cognitive skills measured at age 3.Results 23.3% of the sample were never exposed to smacking at any sweep, while 36.8% were exposed at all three. Smacking was not associated with numeracy at age 7 after controlling for numeracy at age 3 (b for smacking at 3 sweeps vs never = -0.37; p=0.396). In complete case analyses, more exposure to smacking was associated with lower numeracy scores after full adjustment (b for smacking at 3 sweeps vs never = -0.98; p=0.035) but not after additionally adjusting for socio-emotional difficulties at age 3 (b= -0.59; p=0.210). Associations were not moderated by child sex, child ethnicity, or maternal warmth.Analyses for verbal ability are ongoing and will be presented at the conference.Conclusion Physical punishment was not associated with better numeracy in the MCS sample, negating one of the arguments used to support the practice (that it would improve outcomes for children). Given physical punishment violates children’s rights, law reforms are warranted.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Maria Sifaki"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Population Health Research Institute, St George’s, University of London, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Rebecca Lacey"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Yvonne Kelly"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Anja Heilmann"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P64 Is physical punishment associated with cognitive outcomes in early childhood? Findings from the UK millennium cohort study",
  "uid": "66459b80-b58e-5dd9-b1aa-a88424ea1e9e"
}