Attitudes and beliefs about adolescent work and workplace safety among parents of working adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to examine the attitudes and beliefs of the parents of working adolescents related to the safety of the employment of their children.


METHODS
A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted in 2003 among English-speaking parents of working adolescents aged 14-18 years in the continental United States. Questions addressed parental concerns about adolescents' employment and potential safety issues at work.


RESULTS
Most parents expressed favorable attitudes about adolescent employment, although many expressed concerns about fatigue (48%), problems completing schoolwork (33%), or spending time with families (35%). Half of all parents indicated concerns about adolescents being present during a robbery, and 40-50% were concerned about adolescents working alone or not having adequate safety training. Parents were favorable to laws that regulate the teen work environment, although most (69%) also indicated that parents, not laws, should determine the work that teens do.


CONCLUSIONS
Parents of working teens are favorable to their teens working, but they do have varied concerns about safety. Although many parents believe they should set the rules about teen work, they are also generally supportive of governmental regulation of hours and tasks. Helping parents understand child labor policies and consider evidence about work hazards may facilitate their ability to provide appropriate advice to their children.
Runyan
Carol W
CW
University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7505, USA. carol_runyan@unc.edu
Schulman
Michael
M
Dal Santo
Janet
J
Bowling
J Michael
JM
Agans
Robert
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D017132:Workplace