AUTOGENIC TRAINING WITH CHILDREN AND YOUN G-PATIENTS WITH DIABETES-MELLITUS TYPE-1

This paper discusses psychosocial influences of diabetes mellitus type 1 on children and young patients. A group of 21 patients, age 9 to 14 years with Diabetes mellitus type 1 attended a course in ''Autogenic Training'' for a period of 11 weeks. From the multidimensional questio nare for children (PFK 9-14, SEITZ u. RAUSCHE 1976) 15 dimensions of p ersonality and 5 second rank factors were extracted at the beginning a nd at the end of training and 5 months later. Additionally HbA(1)-scor es were assessed at the beginning and at the end at a 2month and a 5mo nth-follow-up. At the beginning of the course only on one of the 15 sc ales a significant difference could be observed between experimental g roup and age related normal population. After training 5 scales and on e second rank factor showed significant changes. Significant reduction was observed in. ''need for aggressive forms of dominance behaviour'' ''feeling of submission with respects to others'', ''emotional labili ty'' and ''tendency for dependence on adults''. A significantly increa sed score was observed in the scale measuring ''self confidence regard ing one's own meaning, decisions and planning ability''. The second ra nk faktor ''neuroticism'' was significantly reduced. Against expectati ons there was no reduction in HbA, scores. At the end of training HbA( 1) scores even had increased significantly. But this might have been r elated to the high frequency of infections during this course. In subj ective ratings of training evaluation most of the course members and t heir parents described fewer problems with attention, less test-anxiet y and less aggression and nervousness. The results of this prospective pilot-study are discussed in terms of the psychodynamic influence on diabetes.