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Author: Johnston, Brian D.
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Johnston, Brian D.
Family Life Events and Child Injury Risk
Presented: Baltimore, MD, Pediatric Academy Societies Meetings, 2002
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: American Pediatric Society
Keyword(s): Child Health; Drug Use; Family Circumstances, Changes in; Injuries; Insurance, Health; Stress

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk of injury requiring medical care or hospitalization among children with recent exposure to a family life event compared to children without this exposure.

DESIGN/METHODS: A retrospective cohort study using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Child Sample. Participants were 5571 children 0-15 years of age whose mothers were followed in the NLSY study cohort from 1992 to 1998. The outcome was unintentional injury that required medical care. Family "life events" in the data set include maternal illness, unemployment, marital status change, new onset drug use, and sibling birth or sibling injury. Incidence rates were calculated for children with and without exposure to a family life event in the preceding 180 days. Results were adjusted for age, gender, race, income, and medical insurance status.

RESULTS: Over 22,842 child-years, there were 1846 reported injury events (81/1000 child-years). Children exposed to a recent life event were no more likely to be injured than were those without the exposure (RR = 1.10 [95% CI: 0.97, 1.28]). When only recent sibling injuries or maternal illnesses were considered, those exposed were more likely to report injury (RR = 2.41 [95% CI: 1.99, 2.93). Injury risk increased with increasing number of recent sibling injuries or maternal illnesses.

CONCLUSIONS: In this national sample, child injury risk was not associated with exposure to a recent family life event. However, injury risk increased if there was a recent sibling injury or maternal illness. This specific association between recent maternal or sibling health care events and injury risk does not appear to be mediated by family stress as measured by a count of recent life events. Other, unmeasured, aspects of family function or family stress may warrant study.

Bibliography Citation
Johnston, Brian D. "Family Life Events and Child Injury Risk." Presented: Baltimore, MD, Pediatric Academy Societies Meetings, 2002.