Assessment of injury risk in young children: A preliminary study of the injury behavior checklist

There is a need for practical and cost-effective measures of the behavioral characteristics that predict subsequent injury in children. Previous research has focused on the predictive power of child problem behavior (e.g., hyper-activity, aggression, noncompliance) and has found reliable, but relatively weak associations with injury frequency. In an effort to improve upon this level of prediction using child behavioral measures, a care-giver report checklist of specific "risky" behaviors was developed for toddlers and preschoolers, called the Injury Behavior Checklist (IBC). A preliminary test of the reliability and validity of this instrument was undertaken in a sample of middle-class families (N = 253). Results indicated that the IBC has acceptable reliability (internal consistency = .87; 1-month test-retest correlation = .81) and is able to significantly discriminate children with two or more injuries from those with one or none (p < .001). Multiple regression analyses indicated that the IBC was a better predictor of injury than parent-reported levels of child problem behavior using the Conners Parent Rating Scale.