"I think he is in his room playing a video game": parental supervision of young elementary-school children at home.

OBJECTIVES

Using a prospective design, this research examined supervision of young elementary-school children at home and how this relates to child injury, parent permissiveness, and children's risk-taking propensity.

METHODS

Mothers reported children's history of injuries and recorded home supervision over a 2-month interval on a weekly basis. Children independently completed diaries about daily events, including injuries.

RESULTS

Children spent 24% of time alone, mostly supervised intermittently or not at all. Parent permissiveness was associated with increased time unsupervised, while children's risk-taking propensity was associated with decreased time unsupervised. Greater direct supervision was associated with fewer injuries, while more indirect and non-supervision time emerged as risk factors and were associated with more frequent injury.

CONCLUSIONS

These results extend those from preschool-aged children and suggest that caregiver supervision influences risk of injury across a broad age range throughout childhood. Implications for children's safety are discussed.