The relationship between adolescent injuries and risk factors
Authors: Lashkul Z. V. , Chemirisov V. V. , Kurochka V. L. , Motovytsya N. Y. , Yarova L. D. 
Published: February 2022

Purpose of the study. The aim of our study was to examine the relationship between existing risk factors and adolescent trauma

Materials and methods. In order to establish a link between adolescent injuries and risk factors, we conducted a sociological study among injured adolescents who received medical care at the Zaporozhye Regional Clinical Children’s Hospital and adolescents enrolled in vocational schools. (The questionnaire was approved by the Methodical Council. Minutes № 12 of 24.12.19). The questionnaire included 23 questions aimed at establishing demographic data and identifying personal, family and social risk factors. Personal risk factors included; smoking, alcohol use, drug and psychotropic drug use.

Family risk factors include risk factors such as alcohol abuse in the family, raising their voices against each other, and cases of physical violence against adolescents. Social risk factors include: not a full family, living in a dormitory, having an income per family member less than the subsistence level.

Statistical processing of the obtained materials was performed on a personal computer using a package of licensed applications EXCEL-2003 and STATISTICA. Levels of reliability: (p < 0,05).

Research results and their discussion. The first group of the study (hereinafter group A) included 168 respondents aged 15 to 17 years. The second group of the study (hereinafter group B) included 283 respondents aged 15–17 years.

In group A it was found that among the respondents prevailed boys 98 people (58,33%), girls 70 (41,67%). Residents of the city 108 people (64,29%), residents of the village 60 people (35,71%). 146 respondents (86,90%) lived with their families, and 22 (13,10%) lived in dormitories.

They had a complete family of 118 (70,24%), not a complete family of 50 (29,7%). It was found that 20 respondents (11,90%) had an income per family member less than the subsistence level.

In the second group (group B) among 283 respondents – 150 (53,0%) males and 133 (47%) females.

There are 173 inhabitants of the city (61,13%), 110 inhabitants of the village (38,86%). 244 people (86,21%) lived with their families, 39 (13,10%) lived in dormitories, and 184 people (65,01%) were found to live in a complete family.

As we can see, the groups for studying the connection between adolescent injuries and the risk factors that could lead to injuries were compared according to age (adolescents aged 15–17), in percentage terms close to gender, city of residence, marital status.

Given that we are studying a group of adolescents who have already been injured, the method of research is case-control.

A study examining the relationship between personal, family, and social risk factors and adolescent trauma yielded: strong reliable correlation in the cohort of respondents who drink alcohol (x2 = 6,2; p = 0,01); strong correlation with a significant correlation (p = 0,001) between such family risk factors as alcohol consumption in the family; (x2 = 65,5; p = 0,001), raising the voice against each other (x2 = 36,9; p = 0,001), physical violence (x2 = 6,7; p = 0,01).

Conclusions. Given the results obtained, injury prevention measures should be built on a crosssectoral basis, comprehensively, while addressing issues of social, family and personal direction among adolescents and parents.