Parenting adolescent girls with type 1 diabetes: parents' perspectives.
OBJECTIVE
To explore parents' perceptions of the impact of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) on the family and to better understand parent-child conflict, parental worries, and coping strategies related to the management of DM in adolescence.


METHODS
Semistructured interviews were conducted with the parents of 30 adolescent girls who had DM for at least 1 year. Using standard procedures for content analysis, themes were identified from the parents' discussions.


RESULTS
Although parents reported worries, conflicts, and negative impacts of the DM on their family, they also recognized positive aspects of the DM (e.g., it promotes adolescent responsibility) and had strategies to cope with its challenges (e.g., letting go of perfectionism in disease management, keeping a positive attitude).


CONCLUSIONS
Findings from this study can be used by clinicians to assess parents' concerns about DM and to help them discover ways to cope with their worries and stay involved with the disease's management. Considering the parents' perspective will likely lead to parents feeling understood by the health care team and will help to reduce their worries.
Mellin
Alison E
AE
Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis 55454-1015, USA.
Neumark-Sztainer
Dianne
D
Patterson
Joan M
JM
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*