Is It Safe to Stay at Home? Parents’ Perceptions of Child Home Injuries during the COVID-19 Lockdown

Papachristou, Eirini; Deftereos, Savas; Οικονόμου, Παναγούλα; Bekiaridou, Konstantina; Foutzitzi, Soultana; Gogoulis, Ioannis; Sinopidis, Xenophon; Romanidis, Κonstantinos; Tsaroucha, Alexandra; Kambouri, Katerina

doi:10.3390/healthcare10102056

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…This finding is in accordance with our study, which outlined urban residency as a risk factor for post-traumatic stress. As for children who were injured at school or on the street, they had in common that the traumatic incidence occurred away from the safety of home, which may intensify the stress reaction [55,56]. This was confirmed by our regression analysis as well.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Post-Traumatic Stress as a Psychological Effect of Mild Head Injuries in Children

et al. 2023

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Background: Head trauma is one of the most common pediatric emergencies. While the psychological effects of severe head injuries are well studied, the psychological consequences of mild head injuries often go overlooked. Head injuries with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13–15, with symptoms such as headache, vomiting, brief loss of consciousness, transient amnesia, and absence of focal neurological signs, are defined as mild. The aim of this study is to evaluate the stress of children with mild head injuries and their parents’ relevant perception during the early post-traumatic period. Methods: This is a prospective cross-sectional study on a cohort of children with mild head injuries and their parents. Two questionnaires were implemented, the Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire (CTSQ) which was compiled by the children, and the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-13), compiled by their parents. Both questionnaires are widely used and reliable. The first presents an excellent predictive ability in children with a risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, while the second is a weighted self-completed detecting instrument for the measurement of post-traumatic stress in children and adolescents, with a detailed evaluation of their reactions to the traumatic incident. The participants responded one week and one month after the traumatic event. Results: A total of 175 children aged 6–14 years and 174 parents participated in the study. Stress was diagnosed in 33.7% of children after one week, and in 9.9% after one month. Parental responses suggesting stress presence in their children were 19.0% and 3.9%, respectively. These outcomes showed that mild head injuries are not so innocent. They are often underestimated by their parents and may generate a psychological burden to the children during the early post-traumatic period. Conclusions: Mild head injuries may affect the emotional welfare of children. Healthcare providers should understand the importance of the psychological effect of this overlooked type of injury. They should be trained in the psychological effect of trauma and be aware of this probability, promptly notify the parents accordingly, and provide psychological assistance beyond medical treatment. Follow-up and support are needed to avoid the possibility of future post-traumatic stress disorder. More extensive research is needed as the outcomes of this study regarded a limited population in numbers, age, and survey period. Furthermore, many children with mild head injuries do not ever visit the emergency department and stay at home unrecorded. Community-based research on the topic should therefore be considered.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Post-Traumatic Stress as a Psychological Effect of Mild Head Injuries in Children

et al. 2023

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“…The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled families to live in isolation and quarantine, which is likely to affect the well-being of children [16]. During this period with mandatory quarantine in most countries, school and other activity closures, social isolation policies, etc., parents and children spent much more time at home, resulting in an increase in pediatric domestic injuries [17][18][19][20][21]. However, according to the findings of our study, 58.6% of all parents stated that they were not concerned about the possibility of an increased risk of the child having an accident in the house during the quarantine.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

“…Looking more in depth at the measures utilized before the pandemic, when they were informed about accidents, it is evident from our data that the focus of parental intervention is on the prevention of falls. This could be because it is the most common type of accident in our everyday life [17]. Preventive measures relating to fire or electrocution hazards did not seem to be related to parental intervention as these accidents are less common in everyday life.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Parental Home Safety Practices for Domestic Accident Prevention: How Prepared Were Parents for COVID-19 Confinement? A Cross-Sectional Study

Papachristou,

Deftereos,

Asimakidou

et al. 2023

Clinics and Practice

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(1) Background: Children are susceptible to home injuries. How prepared parents were to protect their children from accidents before and during the COVID-19 quarantine is uncertain. (2) Methods: We conducted a community-based, cross-sectional study in Greece between November and December 2021. We asked parents to complete an anonymous questionnaire voluntarily. Questions focused on accident-preventive measures taken at home during the COVID-19 quarantine. (3) Results: A greater proportion of parents took protective measures for a safer home before the lockdown than during the quarantine, while an interesting percentage of parents never utilized preventive measures for their children. Slightly more than half (58.6%) of parents did not seem to worry about a possible increase in domestic accidents during the quarantine. It was observed that those who had one or two children took more protective measures than those with more than two children. Older parents seemed to explain to their children how to access emergency services more often. Mothers stayed at home with the children more often, and their education affected the presence of some of the assessed measures. In our logistic regression modeling, parental concern about accidents was more related to the incidence of an accident during the pandemic and attendance at seminars. (4) Conclusions: Although the COVID-19 lockdowns disorganized family life, parents were aware of the importance of their parenting role in creating a safe environment for children, but according to the study, there is room for improvement.

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“…Other studies showed that risk factors for HAs among children include lack of parental education and awareness, inadequate supervision, unhealthy home conditions such as poor ventilation, and the presence of hazardous objects or substances at home [3,29]. Large families with four or more children may have a higher risk of HAs because there are more children present, increasing the likelihood of accidents [30]. Large families may also have more items and activities at home, potentially leading to more opportunities for accidents [31].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Home Accidents Among Children Under Five Years of Age in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia

Alamr,

Alzahrani,

Alghamdi

et al. 2023

Cureus

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Introduction: Internationally, home accidents are the main cause of preventable debilities and death among children and young persons. Many times, children survive accidents with physical or mental damage that curtails their activities in the long term. The most commonly reported accidental injuries include head injuries, open wounds, and poisoning. This study aims to assess the prevalence and factors associated with home accidents among children under five years old in the Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the community population in the Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia, targeting all accessible parents who have children under five years old. A convenience sampling technique was used for sample collection during the period of three months (May 2023 to July 2023), where all accessible parents who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate were invited to fill out the received online study questionnaire. Section 1 covered the participants' demographic data. The second section covered the children's data and the third section included questions about home accident types, frequency, severity, and causes.Results: The findings showed that 205 (58.2%) study parents reported a history of home accidents among their children. As for accident data, about 122 (59.5%) of the injured children were males. The most reported home accidents among children were fall/impact with hard objects (58.2%), burn (30.7%), asphyxia (27.6%), and poisoning (24.4%). Families with more than seven members and those with four or more siblings significantly experienced higher home accidents than others (p<0.001). Conclusion:In conclusion, the current study showed that home accidents among children under five years of age were mainly falls and burns; they were mainly found among male children and children in families with highly educated mothers and many kids. A majority of the reported cases of home accidents were less severe and the hospitalization rates with complications were very few.

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Is It Safe to Stay at Home? Parents’ Perceptions of Child Home Injuries during the COVID-19 Lockdown

Cited by 3 publications

References 24 publications

Post-Traumatic Stress as a Psychological Effect of Mild Head Injuries in Children

Post-Traumatic Stress as a Psychological Effect of Mild Head Injuries in Children

Parental Home Safety Practices for Domestic Accident Prevention: How Prepared Were Parents for COVID-19 Confinement? A Cross-Sectional Study

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Home Accidents Among Children Under Five Years of Age in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia

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