Or could this study have it backwards and it is mothers of more aggressive children who are more likely to spank?
Yeah. I have 6 grandchildren. One is aggressive. She gets spanked, BECAUSE she’s aggressive. She’s not aggressive because she gets spanked. What asininity.
It is mothers who use spanking as part of the first response who create the aggresive child. If spanking is the up the chain of elevated consequences, the child learns that physical is not the appropriate first response.
Consider the typical reaustrant scene. I child behaving inappropriately. The parent says, "Stop that" and whack, whack, whack.
With my children, it was first corrective instructions, if not immediately effective, it was a trip to the restroom or foyer for more explicit instruction. If this did not yield the desired results, then it was a trip to the car for you guessed it...whack, whack, whack. Never had to make the trip to the car more than once for either child. They understood what escalating consequence were and that I would put in whatever time was necessary for the situation. They learned to cut their losses early.