title: The role of autonomy and pubertal status in understanding age differences in maternal involvement in diabetes responsibility across adolescence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine how autonomy and pubertal status explain age decreases in maternal involvement in type 1 diabetes management across adolescence, how they relate to metabolic control, and the reasons that guide declines in maternal involvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred twenty-seven children ages 10-15 years with type 1 diabetes and their mothers participated. Data included maternal and child report of diabetes management, child report of autonomy level, maternal report of pubertal status, maternal reports of reasons for transfer of diabetes responsibility, and glycosylated hemoglobin (Hba(1c)) values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Autonomy and pubertal status partially mediated age effects on reports of maternal involvement. Mothers' reasons for transferring responsibility included responding to the child's competence, promoting competence and maturity in their child, and minimizing hassles and conflict. The transfer of diabetes responsibility from mother to child without sufficient autonomy and when pubertal status was low was related to higher Hba(1c) values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The importance of chronological age for changes in maternal involvement suggests the need to examine mothers' and adolescents' developmental expectations for diabetes management. The reasons for transferring responsibility from mother to child suggest many avenues for intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Debra L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wiebe
authors.forename: Ryan M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Beveridge
authors.forename: Carolyn D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Korbel
authors.forename: Renn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Upchurch
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Swinyard
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Donaldson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology*