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
. 2009 Apr;34(3):254-70.
doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsn079. Epub 2008 Jul 30.

Predictors of metabolic control among adolescents with diabetes: a 4-year longitudinal study

Vicki S Helgeson  1 , Linda Siminerio, Oscar Escobar, Dorothy Becker
Affiliations

Predictors of metabolic control among adolescents with diabetes: a 4-year longitudinal study

Vicki S Helgeson et al. J Pediatr Psychol. 2009 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To employ a risk and resistance framework to examine changes in metabolic control over early to middle adolescence.

Methods: We interviewed 70 girls and 62 boys (mean age 12 years) annually for 4 years. Risk and resistance factors, including demographics, disease-related variables, self-care behavior, and psychosocial variables were assessed. Hemoglobin A1c was obtained from medical records.

Results: Multilevel modeling showed metabolic control deteriorated with age. Self-care behavior interacted with age to predict the decline, such that self-care was more strongly related to poor metabolic control for older adolescents. Eating disturbances, depression, and peer relations were related to poor metabolic control, whereas good family relations were related to better metabolic control for girls.

Conclusions: Independent risk factors for poor metabolic control included poor self-care, disturbed eating behavior, depression, and peer relations; parental support was an independent resistance factor for girls. Future research should examine mechanisms by which these relations emerge.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Relation of age to metabolic control, as measured by HbA1c.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes-2006. Diabetes Care. 2006;29(Suppl):S4–S42. - PubMed
    1. American Diabetes Association. Type 1 diabetes: Conditions and treatment. 2008. American Diabetes Association. Retrieved June 2, 2008, from http://www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/treatment-conditions.jsp.
    1. Anderson BJ, Brackett J, Ho J, Laffel LMB. An office-based intervention to maintain parent-adolescent teamwork in diabetes management: Impact on parent involvement, family conflict, and subsequent glycemic control. Diabetes Care. 1999;22:713–721. - PubMed
    1. Anderson BJ, Ho J, Brackett J, Finkelstein D, Laffel L. Parental involvement in diabetes management tasks: Relationships to blood glucose monitoring adherence and metabolic control in young adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The Journal of Pediatrics. 1997;130:257–265. - PubMed
    1. Bearman KJ, La Greca AM. Assessing friend support of adolescents’ diabetes care: The diabetes social support questionnaire-friends version. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2002;27:417–428. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms