The Complexity of Supervision: Impact of Parental Supervision Style on Children’s Risk-Taking

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Health, Growth, Injury

Abstract

Background: Unintentional childhood injuries are the leading killer of children in the United States. An American child dies from an injury almost every hour of every day, and almost 1000 others are treated in emergency departments (WISQARS, 2020). Many behavioral factors place children at heightened risk for injury (Schwebel & Gaines, 2007); among these is child risk-taking.

Active parental supervision mitigates child risk-taking, and thus contributes to injury prevention (Petrass & Blitvich, 2012). Active supervision requires proximity, attention, and continuous monitoring (Saluja et al, 2004). Absence of any component may increase risk-taking. We examined how parental supervision and supervision styles impact children’s risk-taking.

Methods: As part of a larger study, 59 children aged 4-6 years (Mage=5.47, SD=.47) engaged in two risk-taking tasks. First, children engaged in an activity room with several risk-promoting items (eg, ball pit, plastic slide) for ten minutes (5 supervised, then 5 unsupervised). Caregivers completed questionnaires while “supervising,” creating poor parental attention and non-continuous monitoring. Behavior was videotaped and subsequently coded to measure child risk-taking (engagement in thrilling, exciting gross motor movement involving some risk of injury) using a time-sampling approach (ten 30-second samples). The percentage of risk-taking segments was calculated.

Second, children responded to 12 illustrated risk-taking activities (6 pairs: half unsupervised, half actively supervised). For example, one illustration depicted two children alone jumping on a bed (unsupervised); the matched picture showed the same behavior with a mother present. Children indicated whether they would engage in the illustrated behavior; scores were tallied into unsupervised and supervised risky behavior outcomes.

Parents completed the PSAPQ (Morrongiello & House, 2004) to assess typical supervision style. Results from three scales were considered: supervision (close watch), protectiveness (strong sense of responsibility), and risk-tolerance (encourage independence).

Results:
Bivariate correlations revealed no associations between primary outcomes and demographic variables (Table 1).
Activity Room: Children took similar risks when supervised (.34±.27) and unsupervised (.30±.24), t(59)=-1.10. Bivariate correlations revealed greater risk-taking with more protective/supervision-oriented parents (Table 1). Multiple linear regression predicting supervised risk-taking from PSAPQ scales was significant, F(3,53)=4.90, p<.05, R2=.22; only protectiveness significantly predicted, p<.05 (Table 2).
Illustrations: Children took fewer risks when supervised (2.29±1.55) than unsupervised (1.80±1.71), t(59)=2.81, p<.05. Bivariate correlations revealed greater risk-taking for more supervision-oriented parents (Table 1). Multiple linear regression predicting supervised risk-taking from PSAPQ scales was non-significant, F(3,54)=2.56, p=.07, R2=.13, although supervision significantly predicted, p<.05 (Table 2).

Conclusion: Different patterns of risk-taking emerged within the two tasks. Supervision reduced risk-taking only in the illustrations task, probably because the activity room was designed for parents to provide inadequate supervision. In many cases, children actually attempted to gain parental attention through risk-taking. In the illustrations task, supervision was clearly active and therefore effective in reducing children’s intended risk-taking. The influence of supervision style was somewhat mixed, but both supervision habits and protectiveness demonstrated some effect on risk-taking.

Active supervision is cited as effective to diminish child risk-taking and prevent injuries (Petrass & Blitvich, 2012; Saluja et al., 2004); these findings support efforts to improve active parental supervision during child play.

Authors

• Casie H. Morgan, University of Alabama, Birmingham
  Presenting Author

• ALLISON Claire Estep, University of Alabama, Birmingham
  Non-Presenting Author

• Caitlin Bullard, Oklahoma State University-Stillwater
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brittany Cangialosi, Jacksonville State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• David C Schwebel, University of Alabama, Birmingham
  Non-Presenting Author