Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Vol. 28, No. 7, 2003, pp. 505-516
© 2003 Society of Pediatric Psychology
The Role of Parents and Temperament on Children's Estimation of Physical Ability: Links to Unintentional Injury Prevention
University of Alabama at Birmingham
All correspondence should be addressed to David C. Schwebel, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1300 University Blvd, CH 415, Birmingham, Alabama 35294. E-mail: schwebel{at}uab.edu.
Objective Unintentional injuries, the leading cause of pediatric mortality, are caused by a complex set of intrapersonal and environmental factors. The role of three critical variables— parental supervision, children's temperament, and estimation of children's physical abilities— was examined. Methods Sixty-four 6- and 8-year-old children completed a laboratory experiment with a parent. Both children and parents judged the child's ability to complete reaching, stepping, and crouching tasks. Parents also completed a parent-report measure of children's temperament. Results Both children and parents overestimated children's ability, although children did so more than parents. Parents of temperamentally impulsive and undercontrolled children judged that their children could complete tasks that were actually beyond the child's ability. Temperament also affected children's judgments while parents were known to be present or absent: Temperamentally impulsive and undercontrolled children were more accurate in their judgments when parents were standing next to them than when parents were hidden from view behind a one-way mirror. Conclusions The mechanism by which parental supervision might protect children from injury appears to be at least twofold: (a) Parents overestimate children's ability less frequently than children themselves, suggesting supervising parents could intervene to prevent children from attempting dangerous activities; and (b) children judge their physical abilities more cautiously when parents are present. Implications for temperament theory and for injury prevention are discussed.
Key words: injury; temperament; ability estimation; parenting; supervision; children.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  A. Damashek, N. A. Williams, K. Sher, and L. Peterson Relation of Caregiver Alcohol Use to Unintentional Childhood Injury J. Pediatr. Psychol., May 1, 2009; 34(4): 344 - 353. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. A. Sturm, R. M. Mays, B. Juliar, R. M. Bair, S. Perkins, and G. D. Zimet `What, Me Worry?': Parents' Reasons for Worry and Nonworry about Adolescent Risk for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) J Health Psychol, November 1, 2008; 13(8): 1060 - 1071. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. A. Morrongiello and S. Matheis Understanding Children's Injury-risk Behaviors: The Independent Contributions of Cognitions and Emotions J. Pediatr. Psychol., September 1, 2007; 32(8): 926 - 937. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. R. Porter, L. A. Crane, L. M. Dickinson, J. Gannon, J. Drisko, and C. DiGuiseppi Parent Opinions About the Appropriate Ages at Which Adult Supervision Is Unnecessary for Bathing, Street Crossing, and Bicycling Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, July 1, 2007; 161(7): 656 - 662. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. K. Barton and D. C. Schwebel The Roles of Age, Gender, Inhibitory Control, and Parental Supervision in Children's Pedestrian Safety J. Pediatr. Psychol., June 1, 2007; 32(5): 517 - 526. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. K. Barton and D. C. Schwebel The Influences of Demographics and Individual Differences on Children's Selection of Risky Pedestrian Routes J. Pediatr. Psychol., April 1, 2007; 32(3): 343 - 353. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. A. Morrongiello, M. Corbett, M. McCourt, and N. Johnston Understanding Unintentional Injury Risk in Young Children II. The Contribution of Caregiver Supervision, Child Attributes, and Parent Attributes J. Pediatr. Psychol., July 1, 2006; 31(6): 540 - 551. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. C. Schwebel, A. L. Summerlin, M. L. Bounds, and B. A. Morrongiello The Stamp-in-Safety Program: A Behavioral Intervention to Reduce Behaviors that Can Lead to Unintentional Playground Injury in a Preschool Setting J. Pediatr. Psychol., March 1, 2006; 31(2): 152 - 162. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. A. Morrongiello Caregiver Supervision and Child-Injury Risk: I. Issues in Defining and Measuring Supervision; II. Findings and Directions for Future Research J. Pediatr. Psychol., October 1, 2005; 30(7): 536 - 552. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. C. Schwebel and B. K. Barton Contributions of Multiple Risk Factors to Child Injury J. Pediatr. Psychol., October 1, 2005; 30(7): 553 - 561. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. C. Schwebel and C. M. Brezausek The Role of Fathers in Toddlers' Unintentional Injury Risk J. Pediatr. Psychol., January 1, 2004; 29(1): 19 - 29. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|