RT Book, Section
A1 Liu, Yi Hui
A2 Rudolph, Colin D.
A2 Rudolph, Abraham M.
A2 Lister, George E.
A2 First, Lewis R.
A2 Gershon, Anne A.
SR Print(0)
ID 6739233
T1 Chapter 98. Vulnerable Child Syndrome
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-149723-7
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=6739233
RD 2024/04/20
AB In  1964,  Green  and  Solnit1  described  a  group  of  25  children  ages  17  months  to  14  years  old  with  a  history  of  a  condition  perceived,  and  oftentimes  physician-endorsed,  as  life-threatening  (eg,  prematurity,  seizures,  congenital  cardiac  disease,  pneumonia,  diabetes  mellitus,  head  trauma).  Despite  recovery,  these  children  were  then  inappropriately  considered  by  their  parents  to  be  at  heightened  ongoing  risk  for  premature  death.  Although  the  majority  of  the  precipitating  illnesses  occurred  within  the  first  2  years  of  life,  the  parent–child  relationship  was  persistently  altered,  generating  in  later  years  maladaptive  behaviors  such  as  separation  difficulties,  infantilization,  bodily  overconcerns,  and  school  underachievement.  Vulnerable  child  syndrome  (VCS)  is  currently  viewed  as  an  extreme  manifestation  of  persistent  and  unfounded  parental  expectations  of  medical  vulnerability  after  a  real  or  perceived  health  threat  to  a  child.  The  high  parental  perception  of  child  vulnerability  (PPCV)  significantly  increases  use  of  acute  medical  care,  attention  to  behavioral  and  developmental  problems,  and  parental  distress.