Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Jul;30(7):1764-9.
doi: 10.2337/dc06-2358. Epub 2007 Mar 19.

Updated and revised Diabetes Family Conflict Scale

Korey K Hood  1 , Deborah A Butler, Barbara J Anderson, Lori M B Laffel
Affiliations

Updated and revised Diabetes Family Conflict Scale

Korey K Hood et al. Diabetes Care. 2007 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to update the Diabetes Family Conflict Scale (DFCS) in the era of intensive diabetes management and provide an indication of its psychometric properties.

Research design and methods: The revised DFCS and measures of negative emotions around blood glucose monitoring (BGM), quality of life, and perceived parental burden from diabetes management were completed by 202 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their primary caregivers. Insulin regimen, adherence, and glycemic control were also assessed.

Results: The revised DFCS demonstrated strong psychometric properties. There was acceptable internal consistency for child and caregiver forms of the DFCS. Factor analysis revealed two factors related to direct and indirect management tasks. Both child (r = 0.27, P < 0.01) and caregiver (r = 0.26, P < 0.01) DFCS scores were correlated with A1C values. Multivariate analysis of factors usually associated with A1C values showed an additive, independent contribution of diabetes-specific family conflict to the prediction of glycemic control: F (12,189) = 6.17, P < 0.01, R2 = 0.28. Conflict around direct management tasks (e.g., BGM) was a more important predictor of higher A1C levels than conflict around indirect management tasks (e.g., telling friends about diabetes).

Conclusions: The revised and updated DFCS demonstrates strong psychometric properties and can be used as a tool for measuring the level of diabetes-specific conflict in families with children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Silverstein J, Klingensmith G, Copeland K, Plotnick L, Kaufman F, Laffel L, Deeb L, Grey M, Anderson B, Holzmeister LA, Clark N. Care of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: a statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2005;28:186–212. - PubMed
    1. Anderson BJ, Miller JP, Auslander WF, Santiago JV. Family characteristics of diabetic adolescents: relationship to metabolic control. Diabetes Care. 1981;4:586–594. - PubMed
    1. Hauser ST, Jacobson AM, Lavori P, Wolfsdorf JI, Herskowitz RD, Milley JE, Bliss R, Wertlieb D, Stein J. Adherence among children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus over a four-year longitudinal follow-up: II. Immediate and long-term linkages with the family milieu. J Pediatr Psychol. 1990;15:527–542. - PubMed
    1. Jacobson AM, Hauser ST, Lavori P, Willett JB, Cole CF, Wolfsdorf JI, Dumont RH, Wertlieb D. Family environment and glycemic control: a four-year prospective study of children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Psychosom Med. 1994;56:401–409. - PubMed
    1. Miller-Johnson S, Emery RE, Marvin RS, Clarke W, Lovinger R, Martin M. Parent-child relationships and the management of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1994;62:603–610. - PubMed

Publication types