People who were hit or spanked as children have an increased risk of battling mood and anxiety disorders, and alcohol and drug abuse/dependence, a study revealed Tuesday.

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The study, published in the American Academy of Pediatrics, spoke to the controversial subject: what are the after-effects of spanking your child? Well, this study finds that there is a link between personality disorders and childhood physical punishment.

“Physical punishment (also referred to as spanking, smacking, and corporal punishment) involves acts of hitting a child as a means of discipline. The parent or caregiver’s right to use physical punishment has currently been abolished in 32 nations; Canada and the United States are not included among these countries,” the study said.

The study was based on data collected from around 35,000 American adults. The findings concluded that U.S. physicians should explicitly tell parents not to physically punish their children of any age, because of the behavioral side-effects.