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How to prevent physical punishment that harms children

Nature Mental Health volume 3, pages 1109–1111 (2025)Cite this article

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A large and consistent body of evidence indicates physical punishment is harmful, but more research is needed to prevent it effectively at scale.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Jorge Cuartas

  2. Centro de Estudios sobre Seguridad y Drogas (CESED), Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia

    Jorge Cuartas

  3. Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Elizabeth T. Gershoff

  4. Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Elizabeth T. Gershoff

Authors
  1. Jorge Cuartas
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  2. Elizabeth T. Gershoff
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Contributions

J.C. and E.G. had full access to all of the data analyzed, and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. J.C. and E.G. conceived and designed the Comment, drafted the manuscript, and critically revised it for intellectual content. J.C. and E.G. contributed equally to the Comment.

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Correspondence to Jorge Cuartas.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Cuartas, J., Gershoff, E.T. How to prevent physical punishment that harms children. Nat. Mental Health 3, 1109–1111 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00485-5

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