Childhood risk taking and injury: self-report and informant measures

Examined several measures of children's physical risk taking and sensation seeking. These variables were targeted as potential predictors of unintentional injury, which is the leading cause of death in children. 83 children between 6 and 9 years of age completed self-report risk-taking and sensation-seeking scales, and a peer nomination measure of each classmate's risk taking. Teachers rated children on a risk-taking scale. Parents completed the Injury Behavior Checklist of risky behaviors, and also indicated their child's injury history. Virtually all measures were positively and significantly intercorrelated, indicating that reports of children's physical risk-taking behavior were consistent and were indicative of parent-reported injury frequency.