Temperament, childrearing practices and unintentional childhood injury

Abstract

~his study examined the rel.at~onsh.~p. a~()ng parents' . . . - ··- . . . . perceptions-of the~r c::hildren's temperament, self-reported ~hildrear:in~ practices and urililt·en_tional injury in children. ~he sample consisted of 23 injured children· • • ~ ' • • + between the ages of 1· an.d 7 Y~.CJ.rs who, wer~ _recr'lli~ed from the emergency rqoms, hospital·f~~ors and pedia~ric intensiv~ car~·units of two meiropolitan hospitals. . . . ' '. '. ' -. ~ ' ' . . . . . Parents completed·a temperament. questionnaire, a . . childrearing ~ractices questi6~naire and a demographic data . form. Inform·ation related to th~ injury was r~corded· and· the Physiologic Stability Index, which measured injury ' - ' ' ' . ' . . . . . . severity, was deter~ined by tne investigp.t_or afte:r a c}lar~ review. In this study, a.greater frequency of injury was rel.ated to a pa·re_nting style .of low warmth and a .greater injury severity was related to a childrearing practice of. low control, r=. 57 and ··51 respectiv.ely (p< ·• 01). Parents· of inj~red children reported themselves as practicing ' ' . ' . significantly more control and ·prot~ctiveness ·.than a sample ·of parents of non-injured children (n=20). The injured ·children were perceived l:?Y t~eir mothers as b.ein_g.slow in ·.adaptability, demonstrating low-rhythmicity, high withdrawal; and negative mood when compared to normative data bn other child subjects~