ArticleJournal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP2015
A model for the development of mothers' perceived vulnerability of preterm infants.
Article in Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Reduction of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parental perceptions of child vulnerability and risk of vulnerable child syndrome utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy: randomized controlled trial.Pediatric research · 2026Trial
- Predictors of Maternal Bonding and Responsiveness for Mothers of Very Preterm Infants.Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings · 2022Trial
- Burden of chronic disease on NICU families: developmental outcomes, psychological effects, and vulnerable child syndrome.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026Review
- From NICU to home: meeting the mental health needs of families after discharge.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2025Review
- Understanding and addressing mental health challenges of families admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2025Review
- Neurodevelopmental, Mental Health, and Parenting Issues in Preterm Infants.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Group trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy for parents of premature infants compared to individual therapy intervention.Early human development · 2023Article
- Effectiveness of Parent-to-Parent Support Group in Reduction of Anxiety and Stress Among Parents of Children With Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2022Article
- Changes in emotional problems, hyperactivity and conduct problems in moderate to late preterm children and adolescents born between 1958 and 2002 in the United Kingdom.JCPP advances · 2021Article
- Beyond the First Wave: Consequences of COVID-19 on High-Risk Infants and Families.American journal of perinatology · 2020Article
- Prematurity and Maladaptive Mealtime Dynamics: the Roles of Maternal Emotional Distress, Eating-Related Cognitions, and Mind-Mindedness.Journal of abnormal child psychology · 2020Article
- The Socio-Communicative Development of Preterm Infants Is Resistant to the Negative Effects of Parity on Maternal Responsiveness.Frontiers in psychology · 2018Article
- Parental perception of child vulnerability among mothers of very low birth weight infants: psychological predictors and neurodevelopmental sequelae at 2 years.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveSome mothers of preterm infants continue to view them as vulnerable after their health has improved. These exaggerated perceptions of vulnerability lead to poor parent-child interactions and, subsequently, to adverse child outcomes. However, there is no theoretical model to explain why these exaggerated perceptions develop in only some mother-child dyads.
methodData for this study come from a randomized trial of an intervention to reduce distress in mothers of preterm infants. A total of 105 mothers older than 18 years of infants aged 25-34 weeks, weighing >600 g and with clinically significant anxiety, depression, or trauma symptoms, were recruited and randomized. Women were assessed at baseline, after intervention, and at 6 months after birth. The outcome for these analyses was perceptions of infant vulnerability as measured by the Vulnerable Baby Scale (VBS) at 6 months after birth. A theoretical model developed from the extant literature was tested using the MacArthur Mediator-Moderator Approach.
resultsA dysfunctional coping style, high depression, anxiety, or trauma symptoms in response to the preterm birth, and low social support were related to 6-month VBS scores. Maternal response to trauma was directly related to VBS, and an important precursor of maternal response to trauma was a dysfunctional coping style.
conclusionsThis model suggests that maternal responses to trauma are critical in the formation of exaggerated perceptions of vulnerability as are dysfunctional coping styles and low social support. Women with these characteristics should be targeted for intervention to prevent poor parenting practices that result from exaggerated perceptions of vulnerability.
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