Vulnerable Child Syndrome in the International Community.

Abstract

Vulnerable child syndrome (VCS) is a condition in which a caregiver perceives a child as inherently frail and consequently employs health care services disproportionate to medical need. Historically, VCS has been described after a medical event or diagnosis in developed countries. There is little to no literature on VCS outside of well-resourced countries. Cases from a medium-resource setting are presented to illustrate risks for development of VCS, including impaired feeding practices and the potential consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Exploring VCS through this different lens offers insights to providers working with immigrant populations on the United States mainland, including guidance on how to foster more resilience and less hypervigilance among their patients' parents. [Pediatr Ann. 2022;51(12):e469-e473.].