Date of Thesis

Spring 2026

Description

Parents differentiate their perceptions of risk between first- and second-born children. This study used a mixed methods approach for a novel comparison of parents’ views of risk between their first- and second-born children. Parents in the United States (n = 175, 111 mothers and 63 fathers, M age = 36), all with two biological children (excluding twins) between the ages of 3-10 (first-born M age =7; second-born M age = 5) answered self-report survey measures, including the Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale (TRiPS) and subsections of the Parent Supervision Attributes Profile Questionnaire (PSAPQ), in which they expressed their tolerance for risk and their feelings of protectiveness over their individual children. Parents were asked to respond to original vignettes created for the purpose of this study based on risky activities (e.g., ice-skating, using a hatchet, playing in a crowded bouncy house, building a fire, or riding go-karts) and describe their comfort and their reasoning separately for each child. As predicted, parents scored significantly differently on the TRiPS and PSAPQ for their two children, feeling more tolerant of risk for their first-borns and more protective of their second-borns. Qualitative responses identified several major themes, such as age, developmental ability, and prior experience, to explain why risk perceptions differed. These findings illuminate how family context, having more than one child, and comparisons among children influence parenting ideologies and risk perceptions.

Keywords

Risky play, Parental risk perceptions, Siblings

Access Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science

Major

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Chris Boyatzis

Second Advisor

Dr. Lisa Stone-Bury

Third Advisor

Dr. John Ptacek

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