Citation

Vaughan E, Anderson CL, Agran PF, Winn DG. Health Psychol. 2004; 23(3): 289-298.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. evaughan@uci.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/0278-6133.23.3.289

PMID

15099170

Abstract

Interview data from 100 lower income Hispanic and 50 White mothers from a nutritional service clinic extended prior research on cultural differences in the risk for unintentional pediatric injuries. Group differences were expected in reported injury incidence and in the prevalence and impact of contributing factors. As predicted, White mothers reported more injuries for a young child, and among Hispanic mothers, English language preference and use were associated with more reported injuries. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that risky behaviors, mother's judgment about child compliance, and stressful life events were better predictors of injuries than housing quality, but among Hispanics, the impact of certain factors (e.g. child temperament) was qualified by mother's acculturation level. Stress and child temperament explained injury differences between more- and less-acculturated Hispanic families but only partially accounted for differences between White mothers and less-acculturated Hispanics. Pediatric injury risk and protective factors seemed to operate in concert with cultural processes.