New study finds that countries with corporal punishment bans have lower rates of adolescent suicide, with effects peaking around 12-13 years after prohibition enacted
Suicide is a major public health issue. Young people (15–29 years) account for one-third of all suicides globally and suicide is the third leading cause of death in this age group.[1]
A new study has found that countries with prohibition of corporal punishment have lower prevalence of adolescent suicide – for example, among teenage girls the rate is halved. The study also finds that it takes more than ten years to see this effect, possibly the time it takes for a child to grow up without corporal punishment? In this fascinating blog by the main author of the study, Laura Cramm MSc tells us more about the research and its findings.
'The effects of corporal punishment have been well-studied, and it can be conclusively stated that the practice harms children. A large body of research has shown that corporal punishment is associated with negative health outcomes. Research on the effects of legislation banning corporal punishment has been more limited. However, in 2018, an innovative cross-national study of 88 countries was published on the topic. Dr. Frank Elgar (McGill University) and colleagues found a relationship between the legal status of corporal punishment and adolescent physical fighting rates. Compared to countries that banned corporal punishment in both schools and in the home, countries that did not ban corporal punishment reported 1.45 times the rate of fighting in male adolescents and 2.38 times the rate of fighting in female adolescents. This study linked bans of corporal punishment to one form of adolescent violence. It was hypothesized that these bans could also be associated with other forms of violence, such as self-harm and suicide.
Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents globally; it is a major public health concern worldwide. I worked with Dr. Elgar and Dr. William Pickett (Brock University) to study the country-level relationship between legal bans of corporal punishment and adolescent suicide rates. The legal status of corporal punishment by country and year was retrieved from the End Corporal Punishment reports on every state and territory. Countries were classified as either having no ban (having never prohibited corporal punishment in homes, schools, daycares, or alternative care settings), a partial ban (having prohibited corporal punishment in some, but not all, of these four settings) or a full ban (having prohibited corporal punishment in all four settings). The number of adolescent suicide deaths by country that were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) were retrieved from the WHO mortality database. These counts were stratified by age group (10-14 vs. 15-19) and sex. Suicide rates were calculated by dividing the number of deaths by population size estimates provided by the United Nations World Population Prospects.
At the time of the analysis, 2017 was the most recent year for which this mortality data was reported. Countries were excluded if there was not enough mortality data to perform the analysis; a total of 97 countries from six continents were represented in this study. 38 countries from Europe were included, making Europe the most represented continent. In contrast, only four countries from Africa had sufficient mortality data.
The legal status of corporal punishment in countries that were included in the analysis is shown in figure one below. Countries that were excluded from the analysis are displayed in white.

A series of statistical models were constructed to explore the relationship between national corporal punishment bans and adolescent suicide rates. These models were designed to control for additional variables that might distort the results, including most common religious denomination, religiosity, legality of capital punishment, number of guns per 100 civilians, prevalence of adolescent psychiatric disorders, time since the legislation was enacted, and continent. It was speculated that continent could act as a proxy for other variables that could not be directly included in these models.
Statistically significant associations were observed. Compared to the countries that had a full ban of corporal punishment, countries that did not ban corporal punishment in any setting reported 2.07 times the rate of suicide in female adolescents aged 15-19. Additionally, countries that allowed corporal punishment in schools reported 2.01 times the rate of suicide in females aged 15-19. It is possible that, while boys are generally more likely to experience physical discipline, girls may be more susceptible to negative outcomes. These outcomes may be more commonly observed in late adolescence.
Compared to the countries that had a full ban of corporal punishment, countries that did not ban corporal punishment in any setting reported 2.07 times the rate of suicide in female adolescents aged 15-19
The effects of corporal punishment bans on adolescent suicide rates were observed to be lagged, not instantaneous. Rates of suicide in males aged 15-19 began to decrease 11 years after corporal punishment was banned in schools, with effects peaking after 13 years. Likewise, rates of suicide in females aged 15-19 began to decrease nine years after school corporal punishment was prohibited, with a peak decline occurring in year 12. We may be observing here the time required for children to grow up in an environment where physical discipline is less common, given that children born in a year of a ban would reach adolescence approximately 10 years later. There may also be a lag required for this legislation to be enforced and for parental attitudes to change.
We may be observing here the time required for children to grow up in an environment where physical discipline is less common, given that children born in a year of a ban would reach adolescence approximately 10 years later. There may also be a lag required for this legislation to be enforced and for parental attitudes to change.
It should be emphasized that this population-level study cannot confirm the chronological order of the enactment of a ban, a decline in the use of corporal punishment, and a decrease in adolescent suicide rates. Legal bans may cause parents to use less corporal punishment. Alternatively, pre-existing low usage of physical discipline and a negative public perception of the practice may have instead led to these bans being passed. In addition, countries with lower suicide rates may be more likely to enact bans of corporal punishment; these bans may act as a proxy variable for other factors that impact adolescent suicide rates. Policy recommendations should be tempered by the population-level nature of this study.
As per Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 16.2, all United Nations member states have pledged to end all forms of violence against children, including corporal punishment. Countries that have not yet enacted bans of corporal punishment may be further encouraged by the possibility that such policies may improve adolescent health outcomes. This legislation may also contribute to meeting SDG target 3.4: reducing by one third premature mortality from non-communicable disease through measures that include promoting mental health and well-being. Notably, indicator 3.4.2 is specifically suicide mortality rate. We can conclude that countries that ban corporal punishment have lower rates of adolescent suicide.
Countries that have not yet enacted bans of corporal punishment may be further encouraged by the possibility that such policies may improve adolescent health outcomes
- Read the full research paper here.
- See our other 2024 Guest Blogs
- Read more about the positive impacts of prohibition of corporal punishment
[1] WHO Factsheet Suicide. Available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide
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