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May 1986, Vol 140, No. 5 >
Article | May 1986

Child Behavior and Accidental Injury in 11,966 Preschool Children FREE

Polly E. Bijur, PhD; Sarah Stewart-Brown, MRCP; Neville Butler, FRCP
[+] Author Affiliations

Accepted for publication Jan 18, 1986.

Reprint requests to Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Rose F. Kennedy Center, 1410 Pelham Pkwy S, Bronx, NY 10461 (Dr Bijur).


Am J Dis Child. 1986;140(5):487-492. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1986.02140190097036.
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• Social and behavioral characteristics of 11,966 British children, aged 5 years, and mothers' reports of accidental injuries between birth and age 5 years were analyzed. Aggressive behavior was associated with all accidental injuries after controlling psychosocial variables including social class; crowding; mother's psychological distress, age, and marital status; and child's sex. Overactivity was associated only with injuries not resulting in hospitalization after control of the covariates. The relative risk of injuries resulting in hospitalization was 1.9 among children with both high activity and high aggression scores compared with children with low scores on both behavioral scales. The findings support the inference that aggression and overactivity are independently associated with accidents. The associations between child behavior and injuries were stronger than the associations between injuries and the social factors including social class and crowding. This finding suggests that interventions aimed at high-risk groups may be effective supplements to environmental interventions.

(AJDC 1986;140:487-492)

REFERENCES

1 +
National Center for Health Statistics:  Advance report of final mortality statistics, 1979 . Monthly Vital Statistics Report . Hyattsville, Md, Public Health Service, publication (PHS) 83-120, (Sept 30) , 1982;, vol 31, No. 6.
2 +
 White House Conference on Children : Profiles on Children . Washington, DC, 1970;.
3 +
Menninger KA:  Purposive accidents as an expression of self-destructive tendencies . Int J Psychoanal 1936;;17:6-16.
4 +
Ackerman NW, Chidester L:  'Accidental' self injury in children . Clin Pediatr 1936;;53: 711-726.
5 +
Dunbar HF, Wolfe T, Rioch J:  Psychic component in fracture . Am J Psychiatry 1939;;95: 1319-1342.
6 +
Krall V:  Personality characteristics of accident-repeating children . J Abnorm Psychol 1953;;48:99-107.
7 +
Meyer RJ, Roelofs HA, Bluestone J, et al:  Accidental injury to the preschool child . J Pediatr 1963;;63:95-105.
8 +
Manheimer DI, Mellinger GD:  Personality characteristics of the child accident repeater . Child Dev 1967;;38:491-513.
9 +
Mellinger GD, Manheimer DI:  An exposure-coping model of accident liability among children . J Health Soc Behav 1967;;8:96-106.
10 +
Langley JD, Silva PA, Williams SM:  A study of the relationship of 90 background, developmental, behavioral and medical factors to childhood accidents: A report from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Child Development Study . Aust Paediatr J 1980;;16:244-247.
11 +
Beautrais AL, Fergusson DM, Shannon FT:  Accidental child poisoning in the first three years of life . Aust Paediatr J 1981;;17:104-109.
12 +
Marcus IM, Wilson W, Kraft I, et al:  An interdisciplinary approach to accident patterns in children . Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 1960;;25:1-79.
13 +
Wehrle PF, DeFreest L, Penhollow J, et al:  The epidemiology of accident poisoning in an urban population III: The repeater problem in accident poisoning . Pediatrics 1961;;27:614-620.
14 +
Sobel R, Margolis JA:  Repetitive poisoning in children: A psychosocial study . Pediatrics 1965;;35:641-651.
15 +
Lewis M, Solnit A, Gabrielson I, et al:  An exploration study of accidental ingestion of poison in young children . J Am Acad Child Psychiatry 1966;;5:255-271.
16 +
Stewart MA, Thach BT, Friedin M:  Accidental poisoning and the hyperactive child syndrome . J Clin Psychiatry 1970;;31:403-407.
17 +
Matheny AP, Brown AM, Wilson RS:  Behavioral antecedents of accidental injuries in early childhood: A study of twins . J Pediatr 1971;;79:122-124.
18 +
Sibert JR, Newcombe RG:  Accidental ingestion of poisons and child personality . Postgrad Med J 1977;;53:254-256.
19 +
Salwen LH:  Personality factors in the accident-repeating boy . Diss Abstr Int 1967;;28: 2149-2150.
20 +
Beautrais AL, Fergusson DM, Shannon FT:  Childhood accidents in a New Zealand birth cohort . Aust Paediatr J 1982;;18:238-242.
21 +
Davidson LL, Hughes SJ: Abstract.  Accidents in children: Is hyperactive behavior a risk factor? , abstracted. Am J Epidemiol 1984;;120: 481.
22 +
Klein D:  Societal influences on childhood accidents . Accident Anal Prevent 1980;;12: 275-281.
23 +
Sass R, Crook G:  Accident proneness: Science or non-science . Int J Health Serv 1981;;11: 175-189.
24 +
Adelstein AM, White GC: Child Health: A Collection of Studies . London, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1976;.
25 +
Learmonth A:  Factors in child burn and scald accidents in Bradford 1969 to 1973 . J Epidemiol Community Health 1979;;33:270-273.
26 +
National Center for Health Statistics: Persons Injured and Disability Days by Detailed Type and Class of Accident US, 1971-1972 , publication HRA 76-1532. US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1976;.
27 +
Nathorst-Westfelt JA:  Environmental factors in childhood accidents: A prospective study in Goteborg, Sweden . Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl 1982;;291:1-75.
28 +
Sobel R:  The psychiatric implications of accidental poisoning in childhood . Pediatr Clin North Am 1970;;17:653-685.
29 +
Backett EM, Johnston AM:  Social patterns of road accidents to children . Br Med J 1959;;1: 409-413.
30 +
Hjern B, Nylander I:  Acute head injuries in children: Traumatology, therapy and prognosis . Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl 1963;;152:1-37.
31 +
Rune V:  Acute head injuries in children . Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl 1970;;209:1-122.
32 +
Husband P, Hinton PE:  Families of children with repeated accidents . Arch Dis Child 1972;;47:396-400.
33 +
Sibert JR:  Stress in families of children who have ingested poisons . Br Med J 1975;;3: 87-89.
34 +
Brown GW, Davidson S:  Social class, psychiatric disorder of mother and accidents to children . Lancet 1978;;1:378-381.
35 +
Bandura A, Walters R: Adolescent Aggression . New York, Roland Press, 1959;.
36 +
Andry RG: Delinquency and Parental Pathology . Springfield, Ill, Charles C Thomas Publisher, 1960;.
37 +
Feshbach S:  Aggression , in Mussen PM (ed): Carmichael's Manual of Child Psychology , ed 3. New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1970;, vol 2, pp 159-259.
38 +
Robins LN:  Epidemiological approaches to natural history research: Antisocial disorders in children . J Am Acad Child Psychiatry 1981;;20: 566-580.
39 +
Hartsough CS, Lambert NM:  Some environmental and familial correlates and antecedents of hyperactivity . Am J Orthopsychiatry 1982;;52:272-287.
40 +
Chamberlain R, Chamberlain G, Howlett B: The First Week of Life: British Births 1970 . London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1975;.
41 +
Rutter M, Tizard J, Whitmore K: Education, Health and Behavior . London, Longman Group Ltd, 1970;.
42 +
Bijur P: The Relationship Between Child Behavior and Accidents From Birth to Five: A Multivariate Analysis of a National Cohort , microfilm No. 84-12969. Ann Arbor, Mich, University Microfilms International, 1984;.
43 +
Cohen J, Cohen P: Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences . Hillsdale, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc Publishers, 1983;.
44 +
Kleinbaum DG, Kupper LL, Morgenstern H: Epidemiologic Research: Principles and Quantitative Methods . Belmont, Calif, Lifetime Learning Publications, 1982;.
45 +
Stewart MA, DeBlois S, Meardon J, et al:  Aggressive conduct disorder of children: The clinical picture . J Nerv Ment Dis 1980;;168: 604-610.
46 +
Shaffer D, McNamara N, Pincus JH:  Controlled observations on patterns of activity, attention and impulsivity in brain-damaged and psychiatrically disturbed boys . Psychol Med 1974;;4:4-18.
47 +
Douglas JWB:  Early hospital admission and disturbances of behavior and learning . Dev Med Child Neurol 1975;;17:456-480.

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Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal

References

1 +
National Center for Health Statistics:  Advance report of final mortality statistics, 1979 . Monthly Vital Statistics Report . Hyattsville, Md, Public Health Service, publication (PHS) 83-120, (Sept 30) , 1982;, vol 31, No. 6.
2 +
 White House Conference on Children : Profiles on Children . Washington, DC, 1970;.
3 +
Menninger KA:  Purposive accidents as an expression of self-destructive tendencies . Int J Psychoanal 1936;;17:6-16.
4 +
Ackerman NW, Chidester L:  'Accidental' self injury in children . Clin Pediatr 1936;;53: 711-726.
5 +
Dunbar HF, Wolfe T, Rioch J:  Psychic component in fracture . Am J Psychiatry 1939;;95: 1319-1342.
6 +
Krall V:  Personality characteristics of accident-repeating children . J Abnorm Psychol 1953;;48:99-107.
7 +
Meyer RJ, Roelofs HA, Bluestone J, et al:  Accidental injury to the preschool child . J Pediatr 1963;;63:95-105.
8 +
Manheimer DI, Mellinger GD:  Personality characteristics of the child accident repeater . Child Dev 1967;;38:491-513.
9 +
Mellinger GD, Manheimer DI:  An exposure-coping model of accident liability among children . J Health Soc Behav 1967;;8:96-106.
10 +
Langley JD, Silva PA, Williams SM:  A study of the relationship of 90 background, developmental, behavioral and medical factors to childhood accidents: A report from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Child Development Study . Aust Paediatr J 1980;;16:244-247.
11 +
Beautrais AL, Fergusson DM, Shannon FT:  Accidental child poisoning in the first three years of life . Aust Paediatr J 1981;;17:104-109.
12 +
Marcus IM, Wilson W, Kraft I, et al:  An interdisciplinary approach to accident patterns in children . Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 1960;;25:1-79.
13 +
Wehrle PF, DeFreest L, Penhollow J, et al:  The epidemiology of accident poisoning in an urban population III: The repeater problem in accident poisoning . Pediatrics 1961;;27:614-620.
14 +
Sobel R, Margolis JA:  Repetitive poisoning in children: A psychosocial study . Pediatrics 1965;;35:641-651.
15 +
Lewis M, Solnit A, Gabrielson I, et al:  An exploration study of accidental ingestion of poison in young children . J Am Acad Child Psychiatry 1966;;5:255-271.
16 +
Stewart MA, Thach BT, Friedin M:  Accidental poisoning and the hyperactive child syndrome . J Clin Psychiatry 1970;;31:403-407.
17 +
Matheny AP, Brown AM, Wilson RS:  Behavioral antecedents of accidental injuries in early childhood: A study of twins . J Pediatr 1971;;79:122-124.
18 +
Sibert JR, Newcombe RG:  Accidental ingestion of poisons and child personality . Postgrad Med J 1977;;53:254-256.
19 +
Salwen LH:  Personality factors in the accident-repeating boy . Diss Abstr Int 1967;;28: 2149-2150.
20 +
Beautrais AL, Fergusson DM, Shannon FT:  Childhood accidents in a New Zealand birth cohort . Aust Paediatr J 1982;;18:238-242.
21 +
Davidson LL, Hughes SJ: Abstract.  Accidents in children: Is hyperactive behavior a risk factor? , abstracted. Am J Epidemiol 1984;;120: 481.
22 +
Klein D:  Societal influences on childhood accidents . Accident Anal Prevent 1980;;12: 275-281.
23 +
Sass R, Crook G:  Accident proneness: Science or non-science . Int J Health Serv 1981;;11: 175-189.
24 +
Adelstein AM, White GC: Child Health: A Collection of Studies . London, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1976;.
25 +
Learmonth A:  Factors in child burn and scald accidents in Bradford 1969 to 1973 . J Epidemiol Community Health 1979;;33:270-273.
26 +
National Center for Health Statistics: Persons Injured and Disability Days by Detailed Type and Class of Accident US, 1971-1972 , publication HRA 76-1532. US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1976;.
27 +
Nathorst-Westfelt JA:  Environmental factors in childhood accidents: A prospective study in Goteborg, Sweden . Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl 1982;;291:1-75.
28 +
Sobel R:  The psychiatric implications of accidental poisoning in childhood . Pediatr Clin North Am 1970;;17:653-685.
29 +
Backett EM, Johnston AM:  Social patterns of road accidents to children . Br Med J 1959;;1: 409-413.
30 +
Hjern B, Nylander I:  Acute head injuries in children: Traumatology, therapy and prognosis . Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl 1963;;152:1-37.
31 +
Rune V:  Acute head injuries in children . Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl 1970;;209:1-122.
32 +
Husband P, Hinton PE:  Families of children with repeated accidents . Arch Dis Child 1972;;47:396-400.
33 +
Sibert JR:  Stress in families of children who have ingested poisons . Br Med J 1975;;3: 87-89.
34 +
Brown GW, Davidson S:  Social class, psychiatric disorder of mother and accidents to children . Lancet 1978;;1:378-381.
35 +
Bandura A, Walters R: Adolescent Aggression . New York, Roland Press, 1959;.
36 +
Andry RG: Delinquency and Parental Pathology . Springfield, Ill, Charles C Thomas Publisher, 1960;.
37 +
Feshbach S:  Aggression , in Mussen PM (ed): Carmichael's Manual of Child Psychology , ed 3. New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1970;, vol 2, pp 159-259.
38 +
Robins LN:  Epidemiological approaches to natural history research: Antisocial disorders in children . J Am Acad Child Psychiatry 1981;;20: 566-580.
39 +
Hartsough CS, Lambert NM:  Some environmental and familial correlates and antecedents of hyperactivity . Am J Orthopsychiatry 1982;;52:272-287.
40 +
Chamberlain R, Chamberlain G, Howlett B: The First Week of Life: British Births 1970 . London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1975;.
41 +
Rutter M, Tizard J, Whitmore K: Education, Health and Behavior . London, Longman Group Ltd, 1970;.
42 +
Bijur P: The Relationship Between Child Behavior and Accidents From Birth to Five: A Multivariate Analysis of a National Cohort , microfilm No. 84-12969. Ann Arbor, Mich, University Microfilms International, 1984;.
43 +
Cohen J, Cohen P: Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences . Hillsdale, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc Publishers, 1983;.
44 +
Kleinbaum DG, Kupper LL, Morgenstern H: Epidemiologic Research: Principles and Quantitative Methods . Belmont, Calif, Lifetime Learning Publications, 1982;.
45 +
Stewart MA, DeBlois S, Meardon J, et al:  Aggressive conduct disorder of children: The clinical picture . J Nerv Ment Dis 1980;;168: 604-610.
46 +
Shaffer D, McNamara N, Pincus JH:  Controlled observations on patterns of activity, attention and impulsivity in brain-damaged and psychiatrically disturbed boys . Psychol Med 1974;;4:4-18.
47 +
Douglas JWB:  Early hospital admission and disturbances of behavior and learning . Dev Med Child Neurol 1975;;17:456-480.

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