Parents who tout corporal punishment as a way to discipline children may want to consider sparing the rod, a recent analysis has found.

Children who are physically punished for misbehaving tend to be more aggressive and antisocial later in life, according to an analysis published in the latest edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

After combing through 20 years of research, the authors of the report concluded that there appears to be a link between corporal punishment and hostile behaviour.

That means a spanking used to admonish a disobedient child could actually be promoting the very behaviour it was meant to stop.

"These studies found that physical punishment was associated with higher levels of aggression against parents, siblings, peers and spouses," co-author Dr. Joan Durrant wrote in a news release.

Corporal punishment has been linked to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, the analysis pointed out. Neuroimaging studies also suggest that striking a child may change areas in the brain linked to performance on IQ tests.

Under Canada's Criminal Code, parents are allowed to use force to discipline a child as long as the punishment is "reasonable."

Many, including Andrea Mrozek of the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, have come out in support of spanking as an effective disciplinary measure as long as it is used "appropriately."

In the CMAJ analysis, however, authors found that not raising one's hand to a child can be a more effective way to parent.

When parents in more than 500 families were asked to reduce their use of corporal punishment, the analysis found that their children misbehaved less.

The findings run contrary to a 2010 U.S. study that suggests children who are spanked may become happier, more productive adults. The contentious research out of Calvin College, a Christian school in Michigan, claimed that children who are spanked may grow into more positive individuals.

Still, it appears that in Canada, opposition against corporal punishment is mounting. More than 400 organizations have endorsed the Canadian Joint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth, a document that argues the physical punishment of children and youth is ineffective.

The joint statement was developed by a coalition of six organizations including the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), the workplace of Ron Ensom, who co-authored the CMAJ analysis.