| Unintentional injuries are one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide for children ages 1 to 20 (Center for Disease Control [CDC], 2009; National SAFE KIDS Campaign [NSKC], 2004; World Health Organization [WHO], 2008). The impact of these injuries extends beyond the injured child and impacts the families and society, with an estimated annual cost of 87 billion dollars (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control [CDC & NCIPC], 2012; Harvey, Towner, Peden, Soori, & Bartolomeos, 2009). Despite the huge impact of pediatric unintentional injuries, these injuries are under researched and need to be further investigated as they are typically predictable and preventable (CDC & NCIPC, 2012; Judy, 2011; Peden, 2008). In order to further injury prevention research, the current study examined the role of children's temperament and parents' preferred parenting styles on children's risk-taking behaviors and risk for sustaining unintentional injuries. Participants included 69 children ages 4--8 and their mothers. Mothers completed demographic, temperament, parenting style, and injury measures. Additionally, mothers and children participated in an observational measure of parenting style in a lab setting.;The results of the present study indicated that temperament is associated with children's injury risk (r = .38, p = .001). Surprisingly, the current study found no significant difference in children's injury risk based on parenting styles (t = -.37,;p = .71), thus temperament was not found to moderate this relationship (B = .00, p = .98). It is important to note that the current study used an observational measure of parenting styles, which appears to be a more reliable and valid method for measuring parenting style. Potential significance and explanations for these findings are discussed. |
