The young adult with diabetes: impact of the disease on marriage and having children

Abstract

To investigate the impact of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus on marriage and having children we studied 50 young adults (aged 20-35 yr) with onset of the disease less than 20 yr. The subjects studied (37 women and 13 men) included 17 single, 26 married, and 7 divorced/separated diabetic patients. Twenty-two spouses of the 26 married diabetic patients also participated in the study. A 35-item questionnaire was developed with a 4-point Likert scale format for responses and administered separately to the patients and their spouses. None of the young adults in this study had made a conscious decision to remain unmarried, but 14 of 50 had decided not to have children. Onset of diabetes before 9 yr was associated with a significantly higher marriage rate than later onset of diabetes. Although onset of the disease after age 13 yr was more often associated with a decision to remain childless compared with earlier onset, this difference was not significant. Both men and women with diabetes found that the disease had an impact on certain aspects of their marital life, at times leading to friction and causing a financial burden. Whereas spouses were perceived to be very supportive, there was disagreement between young diabetic subjects and their spouses as to the impact of the disease on family activities and finances, the partners with diabetes perceiving a greater effect on these aspects of their lives than did their spouses.