title: Effect of type 1 diabetes on psychosocial maturation in young adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous research suggests that having diabetes may complicate the passage from adolescence to adulthood. The aim of this study was to establish if young adults with Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) had delays in aspects of their psychosocial maturation compared with healthy controls (HC).
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study compared psychosocial maturation in individuals aged 18-25 years with T1DM to age-matched healthy controls. After obtaining consent, participants completed the following measures: Responsibility and Independence Scale for Adolescents (RISA; psychosocial maturity); Social Maturation Index (SMI, social maturity); Levenson's Locus of Control Scales (LOC, internal versus external locus of control) and the Social Density Grid (SDG, social network).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 160 subjects completed the study (97 T1DM, 63 HC). Participants included 101 females. No group differences were found on the RISA total score or the Responsibility or Independence Subscales of this measure. On the SMI, the proportion of subjects within each category (good, moderate or poor) was similar for each group. The overall number of social contacts identified on the SDG was similar for all groups; however, individuals with diabetes identified fewer friends within their social network that knew each other (F (2,160) = 3.28, p < .05). No significant group differences were found for LOC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Young adults with Type 1 diabetes did not show delayed psychosocial maturation when compared with healthy young adult controls.
authors.affiliation: Alberta Children's Hospital, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. daniele.pacaud@calgaryhealthregion.ca <daniele.pacaud@calgaryhealthregion.ca>
authors.forename: Danièle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pacaud
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Stephure
authors.forename: Heather J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Couch
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dewey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000416:Alberta; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008350:Manitoba; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors