Parental dyadic coping in families of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Background: The strains of type 1 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents pose a challenge to the minor and his/her parents. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify parental dyadic coping patterns and explore their relation to psychosocial and disease variables. Subjects: Parents (n = 44 dyads) of children/adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Methods: Cluster analysis employing Ward's method was conducted as a multivariate classification procedure without predetermined cluster centers. Results: Three parental coping clusters were identified and labeled: avoiders, negotiators, and doers. Although not reaching statistical significance, the HbA(1c) levels of children/adolescents with parental dyads exhibiting the negotiator coping pattern were consistently lower than the levels of children with parents classified as avoiders or doers. Conclusions: Parental dyads were distinguishable based on their dyadic coping patterns with a substantial proportion employing avoidant coping and suboptimal communication strategies. These parental dyads may benefit from minimal psychosocial intervention.