Validation of a measure of injury-risk behaviors in the first 2 years of life: Infant/Toddler-Injury Behavior Questionnaire (IT-IBQ)

Barbara A Morrongiello; Lindsay Bryant; Amanda Cox

doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101561

Validation of a measure of injury-risk behaviors in the first 2 years of life: Infant/Toddler-Injury Behavior Questionnaire (IT-IBQ)

Infant Behav Dev. 2021 May:63:101561. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101561. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Authors

Barbara A Morrongiello¹, Lindsay Bryant², Amanda Cox²

Affiliations

¹ Psychology Department, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 3M9, Canada. Electronic address: bmorrong@uoguelph.ca.
² Psychology Department, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 3M9, Canada.

PMID: 33866157
DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101561

Abstract

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for young children and many result from them doing injury-risk behaviors in the home. There are a number of questionnaire measures of injury-risk behaviors for children 2 years and older, but none that apply during infancy. The current study addressed this gap. Parents completed the new Infant/Toddler-Injury Behavior Questionnaire when infants were pre-mobile (sitting independently) and mobile (walking independently), with diary measures of injuries and risk behaviors taken continuously throughout this period. Validated questionnaire measures of chaos and routines in the home were also completed. The IT-IBQ showed positive associations with injuries, risk behaviors, and degree of chaos in the home, and was negatively associated with family routines. The results provide evidence for criterion validity and suggest that the new measure holds promise as one that can aid in identifying infants who are likely to engage in injury-risk behaviors.

Keywords: Infants; Injuries; Measurement; Risk behaviors.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child, Preschool
Humans
Infant
Infant Behavior*
Parents
Risk-Taking*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Walking