Relationship between family functioning and self-care behaviors of adolescents with type 1 diabetes, referring to diabetes clinics of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences – 2019

Diabetes is the most common glandular disease in the world. The peak prevalence of type one is diagnosed during adolescence. Therefore, the issue of diabetes control in adolescence is very important. This study was designed to determine the relationship between family function and adolescent self-care behaviours in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

In this cross-sectional study, the study population included all adolescents with type 1 diabetes referred to specialized diabetes clinics of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences and their families. 62 families and their sick children were selected as the research sample by available sampling method and after obtaining informed consent, were studied. Data collection tools included demographic information form, Family Assessment Device and self-care of adolescents with diabetes questionnaire. Data were analyzed using independent t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient and SPSS software version 22.

Among the adolescents studied, 46.7% (29 people) were boys and 53.2% (33 people) were girls. All studied families reported the overall functioning of their families as unhealthy. Most of the adolescents in the study reported poor self-care (51.6%). 96.8% (n = 60) of the adolescents had HbAӏC blood levels higher than 9%. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between family functioning and self-care behaviours in adolescents (p = 0.014).

Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the performance of families with adolescents with type 1 diabetes is an important and influential variable on the child's self-care behaviours and blood sugar control. Therefore, helping families to increase their efficiency can play an important role in controlling diabetes.