Infant Temperament, Childhood Accidents, and Hospitalization

Abstract

The role of infant temperament in predicting the incidence of hospitalization and accidents of children under the age of 5 was studied in a prospective follow-up study. Temperament type and profile was originally measured for 1,855 infants (6 to 8 months of age). We obtained data for 270 who had later been hospitalized because of accidents or illnesses. Of these, the temperament of 35 who had suffered a contusion, poisoning, burns, or other accidents were more closely analyzed. The results show that a disproportionate number of all hospitalized children had earlier been characterized as "difficult" in their temperament. This was typical, however, for both the accident group and other hospitalized children. The hospitalized children had a significantly more negative mood and higher intensity of responses to normal everyday life situations. The accident group differed from other hospitalized children in being mainly more persistent but also showed a tendency to higher activity level and negative reactions to new situations. The results do not support a straightforward hypothesis of an early accident prone temperament but point out the significance of temperament in the processes of hospitalization and accidents.