Two studies investigated how mothers of young children anticipate and interfere in events which may result in injury to their child. The first naturalistic study examined 150 mothers of firstborn children between 1 and 3 years old in Sweden. Mothers were interviewed and instructed in reporting about events which they anticipated would cause injury to their child, as well as any injury or near-injury occurring without being anticipated. The second study examined 72 different mothers and their children in the same age group and location. Mothers were interviewed in their homes, and on separate occasions were presented with vignettes which described a potential injury to their child. All vignettes had the general form of a statement about a potential injury-causing agent being present in the environment and the child's interaction with it. Mothers rated how likely they perceived injury to their child. Results from both studies showed that in the home environment, mothers frequently anticipated injury to their child prior to the child's interaction with the injury-causing agent. In the second study, the frequency with which mothers identified a potential injury varied with the child's age. (MM)