Parental beliefs regarding developmental benefits of childhood injuries.
OBJECTIVE
To assess parental beliefs that minor childhood injuries play a beneficial role in the development of young children.


METHODS
Mothers and fathers of 159 children, ages 15 to 40 months, completed the Injury Attitudes Questionnaire (IAQ), designed to assess parental beliefs that children "learn from" and "toughen up" as a result of experiencing minor injuries.


RESULTS
A main effect for parent gender was found such that fathers endorsed stronger beliefs than did mothers regarding the developmental benefits of injuries.


CONCLUSIONS
The accuracy of these beliefs as well as their relevance to parental injury-prevention behaviors is discussed.
Lewis
Terri
T
Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center, Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, 203 Bank of America Plaza, CB# 8030, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8030, USA. UCCTLL@MAIL.CSCC.UNC.EDU
DiLillo
David
D
Peterson
Lizette
L
D001294:Attitude to Health; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology*