Collaborative and Overinvolved Parenting Differentially Predict Outcomes in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

Objective: The current study examined the impact of collaborative and intrusive parenting on depression and glycemic control in children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Research examining the association between parenting and child adjustment in this population has been limited by a reliance primarily on questionnaire data and cross-sectional analyses. To address these gaps, the current study used an observational coding system to measure the effects of parenting on child adjustment over a 1-year period. Method: Youth (10 to 16 years old) with T1D and their mothers (N = 81) were recruited from an outpatient pediatrics diabetes clinic. Mothers' symptoms of anxiety and depression and children's depressive symptoms were assessed by self-reports; parenting behaviors were assessed via video-recorded observations coded using the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales; and adolescents' glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was obtained from medical records. Results: Bivariate correlations and linear regression analyses revealed that higher levels of observed collaborative parenting were related to significantly lower HbA1c 12 months later, and higher levels of observed overinvolved parenting were related to significantly greater child depressive symptoms 12 months later. Further, age and treatment type moderated the relation between overinvolved parenting and child depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Collaborative and overinvolved parenting appears important for adolescents in predicting both psychological and health-related outcomes over time. Parenting behaviors may serve as an important target for future interventions to enhance adjustment in these children.