Relationship between parent–adolescent communication and parent involvement in adolescent Type 1 diabetes management, parent/family wellbeing and glycaemic control

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the relationship between parent-reported degree of openness and extent of problems in parent–adolescent communication and parent involvement in adolescent Type 1 diabetes management, parent and family wellbeing and adolescent glycaemic control. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted. Parents completed measures of parent–adolescent communication, parent monitoring of diabetes care, diabetes family responsibility, parent knowledge of diabetes care, parent activation, parent diabetes distress, and diabetes family conflict. Results: In total, 146 parents/guardians (121 mothers, mean age 46.56 years, SD 5.18) of adolescents aged 11–17 years (mean age 13.9 years, SD 1.81) with Type 1 diabetes completed the survey. Open parent–adolescent communication was significantly correlated to adolescents’ voluntarily disclosing diabetes-specific information to their parents more frequently, increased parental knowledge of their adolescent's diabetes care completion, parents feeling more capable and willing to take action in relation to their adolescent's diabetes health, lower levels of diabetes-related parental distress, less diabetes-specific family conflict, and optimal glycaemic control. Discussion: Parent–adolescent communication has an important role to play in Type 1 diabetes healthcare management and psychosocial wellbeing during adolescence. Optimising open parent–adolescent communication represents a potentially useful target for interventional research and should be considered by healthcare professionals during healthcare encounters.