F. Thuen et J. Rise, THE INFLUENCE OF PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP ON YOUNG ADOLESCENTS USE OF SAFETY EQUIPMENT - THE NORWEGIAN LONGITUDINAL HEALTH BEHAVIOR STUDY, Scandinavian journal of psychology, 36(4), 1995, pp. 399-405
The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the extent to wh
ich the parent-child relationship, as perceived by young adolescents a
t age 13, may account for the use of various types of safety equipment
at age 13 and 14 in terms of seat belts, bicycle helmets, motorcycle
helmets when passenger, reflectors on the clothing when outside in the
dark, and lifejackets when on board small boats. Parental influence w
as assessed in terms of three scales: Parental support, parental monit
oring of the youngsters, and opposition towards the parents, with sati
sfactory internal consistencies (alphas >0.78). The results showed tha
t each of the three constructs significantly accounted for an independ
ent portion of the variance in the use of safety equipment measures. I
n sum they accounted for 20% of the variance in the use of safety equi
pment at age 13, and about 10% at age 14. The findings are discussed w
ith regard to the implications for accident prevention measures aimed
at young people.