Role of parental monitoring in understanding the benefits of parental acceptance on adolescent adh erence and metabolic control of type 1 diabetes

Cynthia A. Berg, Jorie M. Butler, Peter Osborn, Gary King, Debra L. Palmer, Jonathan Butner, Mary Murray, Rob Lindsay, David Donaldson, Carol Foster, Michael Swinyard, Deborah J. Wiebe

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

110 Scopus citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE-This study examined 1) whether the benefits of mothers' and fathers' accepting relationships with their adolescents regarding diabetes control were due to parental monitoring and 2) how parents together may provide sufficient acceptance and monitoring for diabetes management. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -Adolescents aged 10-14 years with type 1 diabetes (n = 185) and their mothers (n = 185) and fathers (n = 145) completed assessments of parental acceptance and monitoring of diabetes tasks. Adolescents completed a modified version of the Self-Care Inventory (1) to measure adherence. A1C scores were used as a marker of glycemic control. RESULTS-Mediational analyses revealed that the benefits of adolescents' reports of fathers' acceptance on A1C and mothers' and fathers' acceptance on better adherence were partially mediated by monitoring. Both mothers' and fathers' monitoring and fathers' acceptance had independent effects in predicting adherence. However, only fathers' monitoring had an independent effect on A1C. The effect of fathers' monitoring on A1C occurred as fathers were monitoring at a lower level than mothers. Mothers' and fathers' reports of their own acceptance and monitoring were not associated with A1C or adherence. CONCLUSIONS-Results reveal the importance of fathers' acceptance and monitoring in diabetes management, a role that should be encouraged, despite the little attention it has received.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)678-683
Number of pages6
JournalDiabetes Care
Volume31
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2008

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Internal Medicine
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Advanced and Specialized Nursing

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Role of parental monitoring in understanding the benefits of parental acceptance on adolescent adh erence and metabolic control of type 1 diabetes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this