Stranger danger or good Samaritan? A cross-sectional study examining correlates of tolerance of risk in outdoor play among Canadian parents

Background Negative parental perceptions of risk may restrict children’s opportunities for outdoor play. Excessively minimizing children’s exposure to risks in their environment may have a range of developmental consequences. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess correlates of parental tolerance of risk among a large sample of Canadian parents. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 2,291 parents of 7–12 year olds completed online questionnaires assessing a range of potential individual (e.g., gender), social (e.g., neighbourhood cohesion), and environmental (e.g., walkability) correlates of parental tolerance of risk. Logistic regressions were created to examine associations between these factors and odds of being in the most risk averse quartile. The logistic regression was built in hierarchal steps relying on the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and pseudo R 2 for model progression. Results The final model had a pseudo R 2 of 0.18. Five out of seventeen correlates were associated with risk aversion in parents. Concerns about stranger danger were associated with a higher odds of risk aversion (OR = 2.33, 95%CI[1.93, 2.82]). A higher number of children in the home was associated with lower odds of risk aversion in parents (OR = 0.80, 95%CI[0.69, 0.92], and parents of children born outside of Canada had higher odds of being risk adverse when compared to parents born in Canada (OR = 2.13, 95%CI[1.54, 2.94]). Finally, being very concerned with COVID-19 increased the odds of risk aversion (OR = 3.07, 95%CI[1.93, 5.04], while having a household income of > 100,000 lowered the odds of risk aversion (OR = 0.56, 95%CI[0.36, 0.87]). Conclusions Tailored interventions that reframe perceptions of risk for parents are needed. Such interventions could reframe concerns about stranger danger which persist despite occurrences of stranger abduction being extremely rare. Interventions could also be targeted to immigrant families and those with fewer children as they appear to be more averse to risk. A complementary focus on examining how cultural background influences risk perceptions is needed in future research.