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Parents, Teens, and Diabetes

Mere mention of the words "teenager" and "diabetes" in the same sentence sends shudders down the spines of parents and health professionals alike.¹ But the fact is that most families of teenagers with diabetes do a creditable job of managing it, and most teenagers will go on to lead full and satisfying adult lives despite the extra burdens it imposes.

What are the elements of parent-adolescent relationships that lead to these favorable outcomes? Why do some families seem to survive the teen years unscathed despite the challenges created by diabetes? What can health professionals do to help more families of teenagers achieve long-term success in living with diabetes? In this article, I will try to address some key features of family and health care environments that differentiate among those adolescents who succeed in life despite diabetes and those who do not. Some of the ideas I will express are opinions based on careful consideration of relevant research on adolescent development, particularly regarding the internalization of prosocial values, rather than on studies that have been done specifically with adolescents with diabetes.²

Warmth and Empathy

It hurts to watch someone you love make bad decisions that could lead to serious, but preventable, problems. As teens with diabetes grow up, parents must respond when their children make errors in judgment, behave impulsively or irresponsibly, or are dishonest about their diabetes self-management. These are all common, perhaps necessary, parts of the process of growing up with diabetes. Because diabetes responsibilities turn up in just about every aspect of daily life, the ways in which families and health professionals respond to these inevitable situations are probably important influences on adolescents’ psychological adjustment to the condition.

It is all too easy for adults to express caring and concern for their teenagers in ways that may be interpreted by the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Defining Goals

Encouragement of Autonomy

Communication and Conflict Resolution

Conclusions

Footnotes

References

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