FAMILY FUNCTIONING - A CORRELATE OF DIABETIC CONTROL

Poor diabetic control was found in nearly 50% of adolescents attending two paediatric clinics. Adolescents with well and poorly controlled d iabetes differed in reported parental involvement in their diabetic re gime. There was little association between glycaemic control and famil y functioning- using the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) wheth er rated by adolescent or a parent. Neither did sufferers with diabete s differ from families of matched community controls according to the FAD overall though the families of well controlled diabetics were more likely than the other two groups to score themselves in the unhealthy range on the subscale of global functioning.