THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIGILANCE DEFICITS AND TRAFFIC INJURIES INVOLVING CHILDREN

Objective. This study was designed to determine whether there is an in creased frequency of deficits in impulse control, vigilance, or both, among child bicyclists or pedestrians who have been injured in traffic accidents, as assessed using objective measures and parent and teache r reports. Research design. This was a case-control study, in which ca ses were children injured as pedestrians or bicyclists (excluding thos e with severe head injuries) and controls were those injured as passen gers or in some other manner in which the child's behavior was unlikel y to be a factor. Setting. Children ages 5 to 15 years presenting to t he emergency room of the Montreal Children's Hospital. Participants. F or each of 286 cases, two controls were selected, making a total of 84 8 subjects. Among the eases, 172 were injured as pedestrians and 114 a s bicyclists. Measures. Children were assessed using the Continuous Pe rformance Task and the Delayed Response Test, both parts of a computer ized test battery. Parents and teachers completed the Conners Abbrevia ted Symptom Questionnaire to assess hyperactivity. Results. Cases and controls were similar on most sociodemographic and clinical measures b ut showed statistically significant differences in mean scores on the Continuous Performance Task measures of omissions and commissions, poi nting to differences in vigilance, and on the Delayed Response Test me asures of impulsivity. Mean Conners scale scores of both parent and te acher were significantly higher for cases than controls, and those of parents were higher than those of teachers. Conclusions. Among childre n whose behavior may have been a factor in the occurrence of an injury , there is subjective evidence of increased hyperactivity and objectiv e evidence of deficits in vigilance and attention when compared with c losely matched controls, These findings have important implications fo r prevention.