FAMILY STRESS AND METABOLIC CONTROL IN DIABETES

The common clinical assumption that stress has a deleterious effect on metabolic control in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) has n ot been confirmed in children and adolescents. This cross sectional st udy of 43 children and adolescents with IDDM and their families examin ed the relations between family life stress, family social support, an d metabolic control. High family life stress was found to be strongly correlated with HbA(1c) in the whole group (n=43) and in children unde r 12 years (n=27) when considered separately. Family social support wa s not found to be directly related to HbA(1c), but was found to buffer the effects of family life stress. These findings support the hypothe ses that family stress affects metabolic control in IDDM and that good social support buffers these deleterious effects.