"I think he is in his room playing a video game": parental supervision of young elementary-school children at home.
OBJECTIVE
Using a prospective design, this research examined supervision of young elementary-school children at home and how this relates to child injury, parent permissiveness, and children's risk-taking propensity.


METHODS
Mothers reported children's history of injuries and recorded home supervision over a 2-month interval on a weekly basis. Children independently completed diaries about daily events, including injuries.


RESULTS
Children spent 24% of time alone, mostly supervised intermittently or not at all. Parent permissiveness was associated with increased time unsupervised, while children's risk-taking propensity was associated with decreased time unsupervised. Greater direct supervision was associated with fewer injuries, while more indirect and non-supervision time emerged as risk factors and were associated with more frequent injury.


CONCLUSIONS
These results extend those from preschool-aged children and suggest that caregiver supervision influences risk of injury across a broad age range throughout childhood. Implications for children's safety are discussed.
Morrongiello
Barbara A
BA
Psychology Department, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. bmorrong@uoguelph.ca
Kane
Alexa
A
Zdzieborski
Daniel
D
D000056:Accident Prevention; D000059:Accidents; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D010988:Play and Playthings; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012449:Safety; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries