PEDIATRICS Vol. 92 No. 3 September 1993, pp. 380-388
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by MCCormick, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Peckham, G. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by MCCormick, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Peckham, G. J.

Maternal Rating of Child Health at School Age: Does the Vulnerable Child Syndrome Persist?

Marie C. MCCormick MD, ScD1, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn PhD2, Kathryn Workman-Daniels PhD3, and George J. Peckham MD4

1 From the Department of Maternal and Child Health, Harvard School of Public Health, and the Joint Program in Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
2 From the Center for Young Children and Families, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, and the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ.
3 From the Joint Program in Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
4 From the Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Objectives. To assess the extent to which parental ratings of child health, including perceived vulnerability to illness, are associated with current and past health events and sociodemographic characteristics of the family and the child.

Design. Prospective cohort study of children aged 8 to 10 years previously assessed in infancy in two multi-site studies.

Setting. Thirteen sites largely in eastern United States.

Participants. 1877 children representing 65% of those originally selected for follow-up from the two previous studies. Participants were specifically selected on the basis of birth weight so that more than two-thirds were low birth weight.

Measurement. Parental interviews at school age including measures of several dimensions of child health and sociodemographic characteristics of the family. The former included a six-item scale assessing parental perceptions of child health overall, and on subscales assessing child current health, previous health, and resistance or susceptibility to illness. Data on health problems at birth were derived from previously collected birth certificates, medical records, and interviews.

Main results. Although overall parental perceptions of child health reflected both current and past health events, a clear distinction emerged. Parental rating of current child health and resistance or susceptibility were associated with current child health problems, not events in infancy including very low birth weight. Nonwhite race and maternal rating of her own health also influenced maternal rating of child health.

Conclusion. The results do not support the persistence of a vulnerable child syndrome, as health in infancy does not affect maternal rating of current child health at school-age in the absence of current health problems.

Key Words: infant health • low birth weight • child health rating • vulnerable child syndrome

Submitted on October 1, 1992
Accepted on March 4, 1993




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 PediatricsHome page
L. Weinreb, C. Wehler, J. Perloff, R. Scott, D. Hosmer, L. Sagor, and C. Gundersen
Hunger: Its Impact on Children's Health and Mental Health
Pediatrics, October 1, 2002; 110(4): e41 - 41.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
M. Ellington Jr, D. O'Reilly, E. N. Allred, M. C. McCormick, D. L. Wessel, and S. Kourembanas
Child Health Status, Neurodevelopmental Outcome, and Parental Satisfaction in a Randomized, Controlled Trial of Nitric Oxide for Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn
Pediatrics, June 1, 2001; 107(6): 1351 - 1356.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
E. Waters, J. Doyle, R. Wolfe, M. Wright, M. Wake, and L. Salmon
Influence of Parental Gender and Self-Reported Health and Illness on Parent-Reported Child Health
Pediatrics, December 1, 2000; 106(6): 1422 - 1428.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
K. E. Gordon, P. R. Camfield, C. S. Camfield, J. M. Dooley, and P. Bethune
Children With Febrile Seizures Do Not Consume Excess Health Care Resources
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, June 1, 2000; 154(6): 594 - 597.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
L. Weinreb, R. Goldberg, E. Bassuk, and J. Perloff
Determinants of Health and Service Use Patterns in Homeless and Low-income Housed Children
Pediatrics, September 1, 1998; 102(3): 554 - 562.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
M. C. McCormick
The Outcomes of Very Low Birth Weight Infants: Are We Asking the Right Questions?
Pediatrics, June 1, 1997; 99(6): 869 - 869.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 CLIN PEDIATRHome page
M. Thomasgard and W. P. Metz
Differences in Health Care Utilization Between Parents Who Perceive Their Child as Vulnerable versus Overprotective Parents
Clinical Pediatrics, June 1, 1996; 35(6): 303 - 308.
[Abstract] [PDF]