The influence of pre-injury behaviour on children's type of accident, type of injury and severity of injury.

Primary objective: To investigate the relationship between children's pre-injury behaviour and accident type (high vs. low risk), injury type (traumatic brain injury (TBI), fractures/dislocations and other injuries) and TBI severity. Research design: Cross-sectional comparison of 205 children with TBI aged 6-14 years, with 101 children aged 7-14 years with non-TBI injuries. Methods and procedures: Pre-injury behavioural data were collected via parental report with the Child Behaviour Checklist. Information on children's accident type and TBI severity was obtained from medical records. Main outcomes and results: The pre-injury behaviour of children involved in high or low risk accidents did not differ. Pre-injury behavioural differences were observed among children with TBI, fractures/dislocations, other injuries and normative samples. The involvement of children in high and low risk accidents differed depending on the severity of TBI. Pre-injury behaviour of children with mild or moderate/severe TBI was similar. Conclusions: Pre-injury behaviour does not appear to influence children's involvement in high vs. low risk accidents or the severity of their TBI. However pre-injury behaviour increases children's differential risk for types of accidental injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]