Early identification of children at risk of unintentional injury: A sensation seeking scale for children 2–5 years of age

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Abstract

Objective

Sensation seeking is a personality attribute associated with injury in school-age children, adolescents, and adults. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a questionnaire measure of sensation seeking for young children 2–5 years of age.

Methods

Items tapping aspects of sensation seeking (Novelty Seeking, Behavioral Intensity, Thrill Seeking) were developed, content validation was completed by child development experts, and 72 parents then completed the Sensation Seeking Scale for Young Children (SSSYC) twice (3 months intervening) to establish internal and test–retest reliabilities. To assess criterion validity, scores were related to children's preferences for high versus low sensation seeking activities, their free play behavior in an indoor playroom, and to children's history of unintentional injuries.

Results

Indices of internal reliability and test–retest reliability were good and questionnaire scores positively correlated with sensation seeking behaviors during free play, preferences for high versus low sensation seeking activities, and injury measures, providing support for criterion validity.

Conclusion

This initial evaluation of the SSSYC suggests that it is a psychometrically sound measure of sensation seeking. This scale may be useful for identifying high sensation seekers at young ages, providing the opportunity for early intervention to prevent unintentional injuries.

Section snippets

Study design

Development of this questionnaire followed recommended test construction procedures (Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994). Once the measure was finalized, a cross-sectional design was used to gather data from mothers and their children for purposes of assessing reliability and validity. A power analysis with alpha level set at .05 for one-sided tests (i.e., only positive correlations were hypothesized), power set at .80, and a medium effect size (e.g., .30 correlation) based on past studies of

Results

Reliability analyses were conducted to determine internal scale consistency and test–retest score stability for the SSSYC. As can be seen in Table 3, the inter-correlations between subscales on the SSSYC indicate that the three subscales tap distinct aspects of sensation seeking. Hence, each score was considered separately in all analyses, in addition to the overall score. Criterion validity was assessed by correlating the four scores from the SSSYC with scores based on children's behavior on

Discussion

Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of child mortality. One of the greatest challenges in directing prevention efforts is identifying those most at risk. Past research has revealed a number of child-based attributes that can elevate injury risk. The present findings extend this literature and suggest that the trait of sensation seeking also influences young children's risk of injury and, importantly, that the Sensation Seeking Scale for Young Children (SSSYC) may provide a reliable and

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grants from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control—Centers for Disease Control in the United States. The authors extend their thanks to the parents and children for their enthusiastic participation, to Kim Munroe, Christina Henderson-Whyte, and Dan Zdzieborski for assistance with coding, and to Mike Corbett for assistance with data analysis.

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