The Effect of Parental Collaboration on Diabetes Self-Efficacy, Quality of Life and HbA1c Level in Adolescents Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

Abstract

Objective: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is a chronic disease that is common in childhood and adolescence, where care and metabolic control are difficult for both adolescents and their parents. Parental participation in the care and treatment process, especially during adolescence when adolescents develop autonomy and take responsibility for self-care, affects both the adolescent's perception of autonomy and may cause difficulties in self-management. This study was conducted to determine the effect of parental support on adolescents' self-efficacy, quality of life (QoL) and glycaemic control in adolescents with T1D.

Methods: This study was descriptive and cross-sectional. Descriptive questionnaires, The Collaborative Parental Involvement Scale for Adolescents with T1D, Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale for Adolescents with T1D and QoL Scale in Children with Diabetes Mellitus (PedsQL 3.0) were administered to 79 adolescents with T1D. Adolescents were also asked about their HbA1c levels measured in the last 3 months.

Results: There was no relationship between parental collaboration and adolescent's HbA1c levels. However, it was concluded that there was a positive and moderate relationship between parental collaboration and adolescent's QoL (p=0.043) and a positive and strong relationship between parental collaboration and adolescent's diabetes management self-efficacy (p=0.000).

Conclusion: It was found that adolescents who followed up diabetes with the support of themselves and both parents especially their fathers, who were not school absenteeism and had regular blood glucose measurements had better QoL, there was no relationship between HbA1c levels and QoL, and there was a strong relationship between parental cooperation and adolescent self-efficacy in the same direction.