CONTRIBUTION OF COPING TO MEDICAL ADJUSTMENT AND TREATMENT RESPONSIBILITY AMONG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH DIABETES

Youngsters with diabetes face numerous, daily challenges associated wi th their treatment. Previous research has examined coping in relation to global medical adjustment. However, the role that coping with diabe tes-specific stressors plays in adherence to different treatment compo nents, and child responsibility for these components, is not well unde rstood. The present study examined the contribution of coping strategi es to medical adjustment (i.e., metabolic control, treatment adherence ) and level of child responsibility for treatment among children (n = 27) and adolescents (n = 29) with diabetes. Youngsters reported coping strategies in response to three diabetes_related situations (social, diet, fingerprick). Coping strategies accounted for a significant prop ortion of the variance in predicting most adjustment and responsibilit y variables, above and beyond the effects of relevant background varia bles (i.e., age, duration of diabetes, diabetes knowledge). Higher lev els of approach-coping strategies related to better adherence to diet. Higher levels of avoidance-coping strategies related to poorer metabo lic control and adherence to fingerpricks and higher levels of child r esponsibility for diet. These findings suggest that the role that copi ng strategies play in youngsters' medical adjustment is best understoo d within the context of diabetes-specific situations.