title: Coping with type 1 diabetes through emerging adulthood: Longitudinal associations with perceived control and haemoglobin A1c.
abstract: This study, which is part of a larger longitudinal study focusing on the biopsychosocial functioning of emerging adults with type 1 diabetes, examined how perceived personal control, coping and HbA1c relate to one another over time.
  
  
  
  Emerging adults with type 1 diabetes (18-30 years old) participated in a two-wave longitudinal study spanning five years (N = 164 at Time 1). At both times, patients completed questionnaires on perceived control and coping (i.e. diabetes integration, avoidant coping and passive resignation). HbA1c values were obtained from treating clinicians. We investigated the directionality of effects using cross-lagged path analysis.
  
  
  
  Higher HbA1c values predicted relative decreases in diabetes integration and increases in avoidant coping five years later. Feeling less in control over diabetes predicted the use of passive coping over time. Passive coping predicted a relative decrease in perceived control five years later.
  
  
  
  These findings indicate that tackling poor glycaemic control is not only important to avoid medical complications but also to prevent patients from resorting to more avoidant coping strategies. Furthermore, given the longitudinal interplay between perceived control and passive coping, it is important that intervention efforts include both cognitive and behavioural components to be effective.
authors.affiliation: a Research Foundation Flanders.|b Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rassart
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Luyckx
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
authors.forename: Leen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oris
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.|c Pediatrics , University Hospital Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
authors.forename: Eveline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goethals
authors.affiliation: d Department of Public Health and Primary Care , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.|e The Heart Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital , Copenhagen , Denmark.|f Institute of Health and Care Sciences, University of Gothenburg , Gothenburg , Sweden.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moons
authors.affiliation: g Diabetes Research Center , Free University Brussels , Brussels , Belgium.
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Weets
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin
keywords: HbA1c; coping; emerging adulthood; longitudinal; perceived control; type 1 diabetes