Toward a clear and inclusive conceptualization of parental control: Reply to the commentaries

In response to J. E. . Grusec\u27s (2009) commentary in this issue, we argue that the conceptualization of control we present in our article is inclusive of multiple forms of control, including those she suggests our definition excludes. We also make the case in response to R. D. . Conger\u27s (2009) commentary that structure and control are distinct dimensions of parenting that should not be combined linearly as he recommends. © 2009, Copyright the Author(s). Journal Compilation © 2009, Society for Research in Child Development

Should parents be involved in their children’s schooling?

Over the last decade, there has been debate about whether parents should be involved in their children’s schooling. Although some have argued that parent involvement benefits children, others have argued that it does not and even has costs. Drawing on the large body of research relevant to this controversy, we make the case that, in general, parent involvement in children’s schooling facilitates children’s motivation, engagement, and learning, particularly when such involvement is autonomy supportive and affectively positive. However, parent involvement can have costs for children when it is controlling and affectively negative, which may be most common in the homework context because of the pressure associated with it. We offer a set of recommendations for educators to consider in taking the pressure out of the parent involvement equation, thereby facilitating parents’ optimal support of children’s motivation, engagement, and learning

Issues and challenges in studying parental control: Toward a new conceptualization

Although investigators have long considered parents\u27 exertion of control over children as a central part of the socialization process, the study of control has been marked by conceptual and empirical confusion. This article outlines some of the history of the construct of control in the context of parenting, delineating the development of the contemporary approach that distinguishes among multiple forms of control. It proposes a refinement of this approach such that only parenting characterized by pressure, intrusion, and domination should be considered control, whereas parenting frequently labeled control but characterized mainly by guidance should be considered structure. This article highlights the benefits of distinguishing between these two dimensions of parenting rather than multiple forms of control. © 2009, Copyright the Author(s). Journal Compilation © 2009, Society for Research in Child Development

Pediatric outdoor recreational injuries: another hidden concern during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background Recreational equipment sales rose significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated changes in the incidence of pediatric emergency department (PED) visits related to outdoor recreational activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a large children’s hospital with a level 1 trauma center. Data were obtained from PED electronic medical records of children 5–14 years with a visit from March 23-September 1 in years 2015–2020. Patients with an ICD-10 code for injury associated with recreation and use of common outdoor recreational equipment were included. Initial pandemic year, 2020, was compared with pre-pandemic years (2015–2019). Data collected included patient demographics, injury characteristics, deprivation index, and disposition. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the population and Chi-squared analysis was used determine relationships between groups. Results There were 29,044 total injury visits during the study months with 4715 visits (16.2%) due to recreational mechanisms. A higher proportion of visits due to recreational injury visits occurred during the COVID pandemic (8.2%) compared to before (4.9%). Comparing patients included within the two times, were no differences in sex, ethnicity, or ED disposition. During the COVID pandemic, there was a higher percentage of White patients (80% vs 76%) and patients with commercial insurance (64% vs 55%). There was a significantly lower deprivation index for patients injured during the COVID pandemic. There were more injuries due to bicycles, ATV/motorbike, and non-motorized wheeled vehicles during the COVID pandemic. Conclusions During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in bicycle, ATV/motorbike, and non-motorized wheeled vehicle injuries. White patients with commercial insurance were more likely to be injured compared to years prior. A targeted approach to injury prevention initiatives should be considered

Characterization of children hospitalized with traumatic brain injuries after building falls

Abstract Background Unintentional falls cause a substantial proportion of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), with building falls carrying particularly high risk for morbidity and mortality. The cohort of children sustaining building fall-related TBI has not been well-examined. We sought to characterize children hospitalized with building fall-related TBIs and evaluate if specific factors distinguished these children from children hospitalized with TBI due to other fall mechanisms. We secondarily assessed if TBI severity among children injured due to a building fall varied between children from urban versus non-urban areas. Methods This was a secondary analysis of the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS), an administrative database from pediatric hospitals. We identified children < 15 years old, hospitalized between 2009 and 2014, with an associated TBI-related diagnosis due to a fall as determined by International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification, Ninth revision (ICD9-CM) diagnosis codes. Urban versus non-urban status was determined using PHIS-assigned Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes. Injury severity (i.e. Injury Severity Score (ISS) and head Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score) were calculated. Head AIS scores were dichotomized into minor/moderate (1–2) and serious/severe (3–6) for analysis. Frequencies, descriptive statistics, Chi-square analysis, and Mann-Whitney U analysis characterized populations and determined group differences. Results The study cohort included 23,813 children, of whom 933 (3.9%) fell from buildings. Within the building fall cohort, 707 (75.8%) resided in urban areas, 619 (66.3%) were male, 513 (55.0%) were white, and 528 (56.6%) had government insurance; the mean age was 3.8 years (SD 2.9). There was a larger proportion of children with serious/severe TBI among those injured from building falls relative to other falls (63.4% vs 53.9%, p <  0.01). Among children injured from building falls, those from non-urban areas were more likely to sustain a serious/severe TBI relative to urban children (58.9% vs 53.6%, p <  0.01). Conclusions Children hospitalized following buildings falls with TBI sustained more severe injuries relative to other fall types. Although a majority of children hospitalized with building fall related-TBIs were from urban areas, those from non-urban areas frequently sustained serious head injuries. Future research should target expanding prevention efforts to include non-urban areas

Race and ethnic differences in a multicenter study of home safety with vouchers redeemable for free safety devices

Most injuries to infants occur at home and are known to have a modifiable component. Additional information on safety behaviors, practices, and device ownership could inform prevention programs aimed at reducing injury-related race and ethnic disparities. This study is a secondary data analysis of race and ethnic differences in home safety using data collected by the Connecticut, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New York sites of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids. Study participants were English- and Spanish-speaking parents/guardians of infants aged 4 months to 6 months. All participants received a voucher redeemable for free safety devices and educational materials. Five hundred forty-two study participants were 37.8% black, 41.7% Hispanic, 10.5% white, and 10.0% other race. Whites more frequently owned/had safety devices including cabinet latches (chi2 =28.9, p < 0.0001), drawer latches (chi2 =21.4, p < 0.0001), bath thermometers (chi2 =22.5, p < 0.0001), electric outlet covers (chi2 =15.9, p = 0.0004), and poison control number (chi 2=93.8, p < 0.0001). Practice of unsafe behaviors, such as stomach sleep position, was higher in blacks (29.3%) than whites (15.8%) or Hispanics (17.7%) (chi2 =11.8, p < 0.0083). Overall, 62.1% redeemed vouchers, but this varied significantly by ethnicity: blacks (42.2%), non-Hispanic whites (64.6%), and Hispanics (76.3%) (chi2 = 48.5, p < 0.0001). Compared with whites, both blacks and Hispanics were less likely to own a variety of safety devices at baseline, but Hispanics were more likely than blacks to redeem vouchers. This one shot voucher program was effective at increasing device ownership, but was not sufficient alone to achieve population saturation of safety devices

Impact of standardization on racial and socioeconomic disparities in non-accidental trauma evaluations in infants in a pediatric emergency department

Abstract Background Studies have illustrated racial and socioeconomic disparities in evaluation of non-accidental trauma (NAT). We aimed to investigate how implementation of a standardized NAT guideline in a pediatric emergency department (PED) impacted racial and socioeconomic disparities in NAT evaluation. Results 1199 patients (541 pre- and 658 post-guideline) were included for analysis. Pre-guideline, patients with governmental insurance were more likely than those with commercial insurance to have a social work (SW) consult completed (57.4% vs. 34.7%, p < 0.001) and a Child Protective Services (CPS) report filed (33.4% vs. 13.8%, p < 0.001). Post-guideline, these disparities were still present. There were no differences in race, ethnicity, insurance type, or social deprivation index (SDI) in rates of complete NAT evaluations pre- or post-guideline implementation. Overall adherence to all guideline elements increased from 19.0% before guideline implementation to 53.2% after (p < 0.001). Conclusion Implementation of a standardized NAT guideline led to significant increase in complete NAT evaluations. Guideline implementation was not associated with elimination of pre-existing disparities in SW consults or CPS reporting between insurance groups