Parental perceptions of child vulnerability in a community-based sample

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the prevalence of parental perceptions of a child's vulnerability (PPCV) in a Dutch community-based sample and its relationship with children's health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Parents completed the Child Vulnerability Scale and a socio-demographic questionnaire. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 was administered to measure HRQoL. The prevalence of PPCV was assessed in relation to socio-demographic and health-related characteristics. In a three-step multiple hierarchical regression model, the mediational role of PPCV in the association between chronic illness and HRQoL was investigated. Participants were 520 Dutch children aged 5-18 years from nine Dutch schools. In all, 69 (13.3%) had a chronic illness; 1.9% was perceived vulnerable, 3.0% in groups 5-7 and 1.7% in groups 8-12 and 13-18. Younger age of the child, presence of a chronic illness and low HRQoL were associated with PPCV. PPCV partially mediated the negative association between chronic illness and HRQoL. In conclusion, PPCV is associated with adjustment to chronic illness. More research is needed regarding the mechanisms through which PPCV affects HRQoL and to examine whether PPCV can be targeted in parenting interventions.

The Impact of Atopic Dermatitis on Quality of Life

“…A recent study aimed to assess the prevalence of parental perception of a child's vulnerability in a Dutch community-based sample and its relationship with children's health and HRQoL [16]. In the study, parents of 520 Dutch children aged 5-18 years completed the Child Vulnerability Scale and a sociodemographic questionnaire.…”

Maternal and Paternal Perception of Child Vulnerability and Behaviour Problems in Very Preterm Born Children

“…When the total score was 10 or higher, parents were considered to perceive the child as vulnerable (Forsyth et al, 1996;Houtzager et al, 2014). The internal consistency of the scale is adequate, with a Cronbach's alpha of .70 (Houtzager et al, 2014) and a Cronbach's alphas of .83 and .80 for the CVS filled in by mother and father, respectively (this study). Examples of items are as follows: 'I often have to keep my child indoors because of health reasons' and 'I often check on my child at night to make sure he/she is okay.'…”

“…Examples of items are as follows: 'I often have to keep my child indoors because of health reasons' and 'I often check on my child at night to make sure he/she is okay.' Significant positive associations between CVS and chronic health conditions of the children, consultation with a GP, medical specialist or psychologist, and negative associations between CVS and several domains of health-related quality of life (total, psychical, emotional and social subscale) indicate sufficient validity (Houtzager et al, 2014).…”

“…Perception of child vulnerability by mother and father was assessed using the Child Vulnerability Scale (CVS), a questionnaire developed by Forsyth, Horwitz, Leventhal, Burger, and Leaf (1996). The CVS was translated into Dutch with permission of the author and translated back and forth to check for validity of the translation (Houtzager, Moller, Maurice-Stam, Last, & Grootenhuis, 2014). Each of the eight items is scored on a four-point scale.…”

The relationship between parental attitudes and behaviours in the context of paediatric chronic pain

“…However, there is a lack of data on these relationships. A related concept that has been studied in the literature pertains to parental perceptions of child vulnerability (Connelly et al 2012;Houtzager et al 2014). Parents of chronic pain patients who consider their child to be more vulnerable to symptoms have been found to be more distressed themselves and to make greater child pain-related healthcare utilisation (Connelly et al 2012).…”