School-age children's attributions about their own naturally occurring minor injuries: a process analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze children's attribution of cause regarding their naturally occurring minor injuries in light of the pre-injury parental acceptability of children's behavior and the emotions children experienced immediately after the event.

METHOD

Sixty-one 8-year-old children were interviewed biweekly for one year about their naturally occurring minor injuries. Participants monitored environmental and psychosocial elements of the injuries and later answered questions about the cause of the event.

RESULTS

For a total sample of 1,037 minor injuries, children most frequently designated fate as the primary cause. Further analysis revealed that attributions varied by children's pre-injury behavior and post-injury feelings. Children were equally likely to accept primary responsibility or to assign cause to fate when they were engaged in unacceptable behavior before the event. Similarly, children assumed primary responsibility for the injury when they experienced post-injury guilt. No differences in injury attributions were revealed by gender or by the child's frequency of injuries during the year.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight the significance of adult caregiver safety rule creation, endorsement, and ongoing communication for the socialization of children's safe behaviors.