Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT3919

Introduction: The role of parents in the management of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is crucial, as it can significantly influence the management of the disease in our young patients. The way parents interact with their child can affect the adolescent’s motivation to maintain good blood sugar control.

Objective: Our study aims to examine the role of parenting style in achieving metabolic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Materials and methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study including parents of children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) aged 15–18 years, followed in our department, who attended consultations with their children. Glycemic control was assessed by HbA1c, and parental educational style was evaluated using a questionnaire. Parental Authority Questionnaire and Parental Helplessness Questionnaire.

Results: The study included 100 patients, with a sex ratio (F/M) of 1.5. The average age of the population was 16 years, and the mean duration of diabetes was 5 years. The average HbA1c was 10.6%. Among the patients, 86% were treated with analogs, while 14% used human insulin. Overall, the permissive educational style was dominant, accounting for 80%, followed by the authoritarian that counted for 11%. For patients with HbA1c within the target range, 85% of parents adopted a cooperative educational style. Meanwhile, among patients not achieving HbA1c targets, the majority of parents adopted permissive educational style.

Conclusions: In line with our hypothesis, a cooperative parenting style is associated with better glycemic control in adolescents, while a permissive and authoritarian parenting style predicts worse outcomes.