Physically punishing children can lead to negative outcomes such as poor health, lower academic performance, and impaired social-emotional development, according to a study on Monday.

The analysis, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, showed that physical punishment was significantly associated with worse parent-child relationships, being a victim of violence, perpetrating violence (including intimate partner violence in adulthood), approving violence, physical health problems, mental health problems, substance use, poor academic outcomes, impaired language skills.