Smacking children makes them behave aggressive!

For the study, which was published in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect, 239 troubled adolescents between the ages of 11 and 18 filled out surveys that asked if they were hit, called names, or subjected to other forms of physical or verbal violence.

Parents of the youths also participated, reporting their behaviors. Some 51 per cent of the adolescents said they had experienced serious physical or verbal aggression, or both, from one or both parents.

Having a mother who both shouted and was violent was found to increased children's risk of mental health problems to an even greater extent than having a mother who was aggressive in only one way.