Understanding parental risk perception regarding unintentional injuries of infants and toddlers within the home: a grounded theory approach

Unintentional injuries within the home are a major health risk for infants and toddlers. Previous theoretical and empirical work identified parental risk perception as a key determinant of parents’ preventive behaviour. Yet, little is known about how parents perceive their children’s risk for unintentional injuries within the home. Since unintentional injuries are considered largely preventable, theoretical guidance that helps to better understand parental risk perception is required. The objective of this study was to develop a theoretical model which helps to better understand how parents perceive the risk of their infants and toddlers regarding unintentional injuries within the home. In this qualitative study, nine photo-based semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of infants and toddlers (0 to 4 years) in the city and district of Munich. Grounded theory methodology was used for data collection and analysis. Findings indicate that parental risk perception can be described as a continuum which is determined by the development and personality of the child as well as by ‘teachable moments’, such as previous (near-)injuries. While risk perception of parents with only one child was predominantly driven by the development of the child, risk perception of parents with two children was driven by the personality of the child. A first theoretical model that describes how parents perceive their children’s risk regarding unintentional home injuries was developed. Since this study highlights differences in parental risk perception depending on whether one or two children are living in the household, future research on parental risk perception should consider the number of children living in the household. From our theoretical model, practical implications for tailoring prevention interventions by health practitioners can be derived (e.g. exposing parents to information of the developmental process of the child), which may increase parents’ engagement in injury prevention.