Parents’ Sense of Coherence and the Adolescent’s Health and Emotional and Behavioral Adjustment: The Case of Adolescents With Diabetes

IntroductionThis study examines parental sense of coherence (SOC) as a resource to health and well-being among adolescents with diabetes.MethodParticipants were recruited by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and a major pediatric diabetes clinic. Parents of 75 adolescents with type 1 diabetes completed the SOC Questionnaire. Parents and adolescents completed questionnaires regarding the child's physical health, disease self-management, and behavioral problems. Parents and physicians reported adolescent's HbA1c level.ResultsResults showed that parents' SOC was positively correlated to adolescents' physical health and negatively to internalizing problems.ConclusionsFindings highlight the place of parents in the wellness of adolescents with disease and provide a basis for interventions that enhance adolescents' health and psychological adjustment.