Spanking may affect brain development in children, Study Suggests

 

研究發現：打屁股恐影響兒童大腦發育

【摘要2021.5.3.自由】◎陳成良

Spanking may affect a child’s brain development in similar ways to more severe forms of violence, according to a new study led by Harvard researchers.

哈佛大學研究人員領導的一項新研究表明，打屁股對兒童大腦發育的影響，可能與更嚴重的暴力虐待造成的後果類似。

The research, published recently in the journal Child Development, builds on existing studies that show heightened activity in certain regions of the brains of children who experience abuse in response to threat cues.

這篇最近發表在《兒童發育》期刊上的研究，以現有的一些研究為基礎，這些研究發現，遭受虐待的兒童在回應威脅提示時，大腦的特定區域活動會增強。

The group found that children who had been spanked had a greater neural response in multiple regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). These areas of the brain respond to cues in the environment that tend to be consequential, such as a threat, and may affect decision-making and processing of situations.

研究團隊發現，打屁股會增強兒童大腦前額葉皮層（PFC）多個區域的神經反應。大腦的這些區域會根據環境中的威脅等重要線索做出反應，並可能影響兒童的決策，以及對局勢的分析能力。

According to the study’s authors, corporal punishment has been linked to the development of mental health issues, anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and substance use disorders.

研究作者指出，體罰一直和心理健康問題、焦慮、憂鬱、行為問題及藥物濫用有關。

新聞辭典

spank：動詞，拍打（尤指打屁股）。例句：She spanked her child’s bottom.（她打了自己小孩的屁股。）

consequential：形容詞，做為結果的；重要的；有意義的。例句：This new transformation is at least as consequential as that one was.（這一新的轉變至少和那次一樣重要。）

corporal punishment：名詞，（尤指對孩子的）體罰。例句：A teacher should not give students corporal punishment. （老師不應該體罰學生。）