First-time mothers’ responses to young children behaving in ways that can lead to injury

Objectives Children of first-time mothers experience an elevated risk of unintentional injuries, though little is known about the safety practices of first-time mothers. The current study aimed to identify factors that influence how first-time mothers respond to young children engaging in injury-risk behaviors in the home. Based on past research regarding influences on non-first-time mothers’ safety practices, factors considered herein included: demographic attributes, parent personality, parenting style, and family context. Methods : First-time mothers (N = 74) of young children (M = 24.39 months) were exposed to hypothetical scenarios in which a child’s behavior could be interpreted in terms of misbehavior or threats to their safety; mothers were advised to react as if the child were their own. Results Analysis of verbatim responses made by mothers to their children indicated that first-time mothers were significantly more concerned with correcting undesirable behaviors than addressing safety risks. High scores on parent permissiveness and conscientiousness were protective, predicting higher frequencies of teaching/explaining responses about safety, which has been shown to moderate children’s injury-risk behaviors. In contrast, greater household chaos and lower conscientiousness were risk factors, predicting more power-assertive responses, which are ineffective for stopping children from engaging in injury-risk behaviors. Conclusion : Injury prevention interventions may benefit first-time parents by assisting them to enact strategies that teach young children about safety, reduce power-assertive parenting, and moderate the level of household chaos. Suggestions for future research are discussed.