Perceived vulnerability in children and adolescents.

Some lines of development of research on children's perceptions of vulnerability to a variety of health problems are discussed, with special reference to cross-sectional data from samples of American and French-speaking Canadian youngsters, and longitudinal data from two American samples. Perceived vulnerability demonstrated some developmental changes but these were not consistent or appreciable. The measurement of perceived vulnerability has been expanded to include serious health problems during adult years. Females showed consistently higher levels than males. Perceived vulnerability was negatively related to a variety of preventive health behaviors and to self-concept, and positively related to anxiety. The data suggest that perceived vulnerability has systemic qualities as well as important affective properties, and that these must be considered by health educators and other health professionals to assure greater effectiveness for their programs and interventions.