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Adolescents with diabetes: support from healthcare teams and families
Emma Singh1, Susan P Farruggia, Elizabeth R Peterson
1University of Auckland, Department of Psychology, Auckland, New Zealand.
Unlabelled:
Adolescents with diabetes must learn to manage their own health plans. Support from family is typically associated with positive self-management outcomes, yet less is known about how healthcare teams can facilitate positive self-management. This study aims to investigate the associations between family and healthcare team support and adolescent emotional, behavioral and physical diabetes management.
Method:
A sample of 58 adolescents with type 1 diabetes completed self-report measures of their diabetes self-care management and their emotional distress or burden in relation to their diabetes. Adolescents' diabetes clinic attendance and glycated hemoglobin (HBA1c) levels were also secured.
Results:
Perceived positive support from the healthcare team or family appeared to have little or negative effect on diabetes management. However, the study found that greater healthcare non-support was related to poorer self-care and poorer self-management of diabetes control (less clinic attendance, poorer dietary control, less glucose testing, and higher HBA1c levels), and greater feelings of being distressed or burdened by diabetes.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that healthcare teams supporting adolescents should focus more on communicating and building relationships with adolescents in order to reduce perceived negative feelings of healthcare teams' support.
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