Children's Acceptance of a Child Wearing a Knee Brace: Does Having an Injury Make a Difference?

Information about children's acceptance of peers who are injured is lacking. This study assessed factors related to children's acceptance of a child wearing a knee brace. Participants viewed a line drawing of a child wearing a knee brace presented with a medical script or the control script (described the child; n=248). Others (n=62) viewed a child without a knee brace presented with the control script. Children responded to questions assessing their acceptance of the child in the line drawing. Children did not provide lower acceptance ratings for the child wearing a knee brace compared to the typically developing child. Children who had met someone with a knee injury provided higher acceptance ratings for playing tag with a child wearing a knee brace. Older children with high social desirability scores provided lower ratings for wanting to play tag with the child wearing a knee brace. Future research should compare children's acceptance of peers with different types of injuries as well as examine their interactions with these children.