SOPHE / CDC Student Fellowship

SOPHE / CDC Student Fellowship in Injury Prevention

Richard Boles

Supervising Children During Parental Distractions

Presently, a dearth of empirical research exists on understanding the possible links of supervising behaviors to child injuries. Forty children (aged 2 to 5) and their parents participated in a systematic observational study designed to explicate the sequential interactions of parental supervising behaviors and child risk taking behaviors during typical home distractions. Each parent-child dyad were randomly assigned to occupy a simulated home living room for 45 minutes with the parent involved in either (a) no planned distraction (b) a telephone call distraction (c) a TV show distraction, or (d) a computer assignment distraction. Parent behaviors and child risk taking behaviors were recorded on video tape. Additionally, parents completed a structured interview on room hazards and a demographic questionnaire. Observational data will be coded from videotape into specific behaviors and events. Descriptive statistics include rates, frequencies, and density of supervising behaviors (i.e., proximity, attention, and continuity) and risky child behaviors across baseline and distracted phases. The effects of distractions on supervision behaviors and risky child behavior will be assessed by inspections of mean changes across phases. Sequential interactions of parent supervising behaviors and child risky behaviors during each phase will be assessed. Past studies on supervision have generally lacked a fine grained conceptualization and definition of supervision, often limiting their external validity and utility toward designing effective injury prevention programs. Therefore, this project will attempt to provide practical information that may further conceptualize and advance the design of active injury prevention programs that incorporate caregiving behaviors.

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