Risk for minor childhood injury: an investigation of maternal and child factors.

OBJECTIVE To examine how maternal and child characteristics interact to moderate injury rate and injury severity for young children. METHODS In this study, 149 mothers reported their toddlers' injuries over a 6-month period during biweekly interviews. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing parenting behaviors, psychological characteristics, and their children's injury-relevant behaviors. RESULTS Maternal locus of control was found to moderate the association between children's risky behavior and child injury rate. Specifically, an external locus of control was associated with increased child injury rate for high-risk but not for low-risk children. CONCLUSION These findings illuminate the potential importance of parental locus of control in moderating high-risk injury-relevant behavior.