Fear of hypoglycemia in parents of young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
The current study examined fear of hypoglycemia in 81 mothers and 64 fathers of young children with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) using the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey-Parents of Young Children (HFS-P-YC possible range = 26-130). Mothers and fathers completed the HFS-P-YC at enrollment and mothers completed it 2 weeks later. Families recorded daily blood glucose on a standardized meter for 2 weeks. Mothers' mean total HFS-P-YC score was 75.0 (SD = 17.2) and fathers' mean score was 66.5 (SD = 18.0). Mothers reported greater HFS-P-YC total and behavior subscale scores than fathers. Mothers' HFS-P-YC scores were comparable to published HFS scores for mothers of preadolescents with T1DM and higher than adult patients with T1DM. The HFS-P-YC had good internal consistency and test-retest reliability in this sample. These findings suggest parents of young children with T1DM report a high level of fear of hypoglycemia. Additionally, the HFS-P-YC appears to be a reliable measure in this population.
Patton
Susana R
SR
Division of Child Behavioral Health, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and the University of Michigan, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5318, USA. Susanap@med.umich.edu
Dolan
Lawrence M
LM
Henry
Racquel
R
Powers
Scott W
SW
D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results