Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire .  At some time or another, most children in the United States experience corporal punishment, such as spanking, without suffering harmful effects on their behavior or mental health. However, studies conducted over the past 62 years indicate that the more often and the more harshly parents resort to physical reprimands, the more likely their kids are to become aggressive, delinquent, and depressed, contends psychologist Elizabeth T. Gershoff of Columbia