Date of Award

8-2025

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Amy Damashek, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Scott Gaynor, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Amy Naugle, Ph.D.

Fourth Advisor

Bryce Hella, Ph.D.

Abstract

Unintentional Injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2021). Several studies have indicated that caregiver beliefs (such as locus of control) are associated with children’s injury risk (Damashek et al., 2005), but few studies have examined whether caregiver beliefs about injury are related to caregiver’s injury prevention behaviors, such as caregiver supervision. Examination of caregiver beliefs regarding supervision revealed that caregiver’s degree of belief in the preventability of childhood injuries predicted self-report scores on several measures of supervision. Caregiver’s degree of belief in the preventability of childhood injuries significantly predicted higher scores on their total PSAPQ score (F (6, 73) = 4.787, p < .001), supervision subscale score (F (6, 74) = 5.165, p < .001.), and protectiveness subscale score (F (6, 73) = 5.366, p < .001), indicating that stronger beliefs in preventability are associated with higher levels of supervision and protectiveness. These findings highlight the importance of understanding caregiver beliefs, as these beliefs appear to shape supervision behavior, which plays a central role in preventing injuries in young children. Given the established connection between supervision and injury prevention, further research on caregiver beliefs about unintentional injuries and prevention is warranted.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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Psychology Commons

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