Children’s daily life after potentially traumatic injury: A naturalistic observation study.

Abstract

Although family environment in the aftermath of potentially traumatic pediatric injury appears critical to recovery, there are no studies observing children’s daily life at home. We aimed to explore the daily family environment (activities and interactions) of 3- to 16-year-olds and their families following an injury requiring hospital admission. We used the electronically activated recorder (EAR; Mehl et al. 2001) to gather detailed, moment-to-moment observational data for 71 child participants (59% male; Mage = 10.41 years, SD = 3.60) during 2 days at home, within a month of their injury. We also explored associations between either acute stress symptoms or perceived social support and cha..