Unintentional Injury Among Very Young Children: Differential Risk for Children of Adolescent Mothers?

Abstract

In 2 studies we examined patterns of unintentional injury among children under the age of 3 years old born to adolescent mothers. The first study demonstrated that toddlers and male children incurred the highest rates of unintentional injury. Furthermore, there was a trend for toddlers of adolescent mothers to be at greater risk compared to infants or children of adult mothers. The second study demonstrated that the more time infants and toddlers spent with their adolescent mothers, the higher the frequency of injury. Furthermore, correlations indicate that as the child's age increases, mothers feel less supported and more depressed.