Objective: To examine the role of maternal depression as a moderator of the relationship between child temperament and unintentional injury.
Methods: Data were obtained from the control condition of a randomized trial of nurse home visitation for first time mothers. All participant women were either teenaged (less than 19 years at time of registration for prenatal care and entry into the study), unmarried, or from Hollingshead social classes IV or V. Records of all health care encounters during the two years after the intervention ended (between the children's' 25 and 50 months of age) were abstracted for injuries and ingestions. The number of health care encounters for injury was regressed on child activity, maternal depression and the interaction of activity and depression.
Results: Maternal depression moderates the relationships between child activity and injury. For children whose mothers have low levels of depression there is no relationship between child activity level and injury. For mothers with high levels of depression, child activity level is positively correlated with injury.
Conclusions: Mother's with relatively high number of depressive symptoms are less able than mothers free of such symptoms to monitor and supervise active children. Active children with depressed mothers have higher rates of injury than either inactive children or active children of non-depressed women. Efforts to reduce injury must target these women and include behavior management strategies to help them effectively manage their high-energy children.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to articulate the moderating influence of maternal depression on the relationship between child temperament and frequency of injury. Participants will be able to describe and design intervention programs to reduce the frequency of childhood injuries which take into account individual differences among parents and children
Keywords: Injury Risk, Depression
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.