When mothers of preterm-born children persist in perceiving their children as vulnerable even though the children’s current functioning does not justify that perception, this may lead to negative child outcomes, dysfunctional parenting and unnecessary healthcare utilization (Potharst et al., 2015; Samra, McGrath, & Wey, 2010). The present study aimed to identify objective and subjective predictors of maternal perceptions of child vulnerability in a sample of preterm-born children. As part of a larger longitudinal study about the development of preterm-born children, 91 mothers and their preterm-born children were assessed when children were 12 months (T2) and 24 months old (T2), corrected for prematurity. Objective predictors of child vulnerability include pregnancy complications, a neonatal risk index according to medical records, and child mental development assessed with the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale (Griffiths, 1984). Subjective predictors include mother-reported psychological distress, and mother-reported pregnancy complications. At T2, mothers reported on perceptions of child vulnerability. Results revealed that maternal psychological distress, and child mental development, but not medical risk factors, were related to perceived child vulnerability. Maternal psychological distress was positively correlated with pregnancy complications when assessed through maternal report, but not through infant’s medical records. Regression analysis showed that maternal psychological distress predicted perceptions of child vulnerability, after controlling for child mental development. Findings suggest that maternal perception of child vulnerability is not related with the child’s previous medical status, but with the mother psychological well-being. Also, mothers in distress not only have current exaggerated perceptions of the child’s current vulnerability, but also retrospectively view their pregnancy experiences as more problematic. Current maternal psychological wellbeing is therefore an important factor in understanding a pattern of more negative attributions related to children born prematurely.

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