Epidemiology: Risk Factor Research

Family Stress, Resilience and Childhood Injury Risk

Principal Investigator: Brian Johnston, M.D., M.P.H.
University of Washington Department of Pediatrics
Funding Source: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Unintentional injury is a major cause of death and disability in childhood. This research explores a novel approach to the conceptualization of injury risk by examining the context of childhood injury from the perspective of family systems theory. The first two phases of this project involve analysis of an existing health-related data set. Injury to children in the data set will be modeled as a function of existing family stresses and resources. In the next phase of research, a series of family assessment questionnaires will be administered to the families of children treated for injury in the emergency department. These instruments will be tested to establish their utility in this population.

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