Links of communal coping to relationship and psychological health in type 2 diabetes: actor-partner interdependence models involving role, sex, and race.

BACKGROUND: Communal coping is one person's appraisal of a stressor as shared and collaboration with a partner to manage the problem. There is a burgeoning literature demonstrating the link of communal coping to good relationships and health among persons with chronic disease. PURPOSE: We examined links of communal coping to relationship and psychological functioning among couples in which one person was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We distinguished effects of own communal coping from partner communal coping on both patient and spouse relationship and psychological functioning, as well as whether communal coping effects were moderated by role (patient, spouse), sex (male, female), and race (White, Black). METHODS: Participants were 200 couples in which one person had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (46% Black, 45% female) within the last 5 years. Couples completed an in-person interview, participated in a discussion to address diabetes-related problems, and completed a postdiscussion questionnaire. RESULTS: Own communal coping and partner communal coping were related to good relationship and psychological functioning. Interactions with role, sex, and race suggested: (i) partner communal coping is more beneficial for patients than spouses; (ii) own communal coping is more beneficial for men, whereas partner communal coping is more beneficial for women; and (iii) White patients and Black spouses benefit more from own communal coping than Black patients and White spouses. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the benefits of communal coping across an array of self-report and observed indices, but suggest there are differential benefits across role, sex, and race.

Featured Article: Trajectories of Glycemic Control Over Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: An 11-Year Longitudinal Study of Youth With Type 1 Diabetes.

Objective: To identify trajectories of glycemic control over adolescence and emerging adulthood and to test whether demographic and psychosocial variables distinguished these trajectories. Methods: We enrolled 132 youth with type 1 diabetes when they were average age 12 and followed them for 11 years. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify distinct patterns of glycemic control, and examined whether age 12 demographic and psychosocial variables distinguished the subsequent trajectories. Results: We identified 5 trajectories of glycemic control: stable on target, stable above target, volatile late peak, stable high, and inverted U. Parent social status and household structure distinguished the more problematic trajectories from the stable on target group. Friend conflict, psychological distress, unmitigated communion, and self-care behavior at age 12 distinguished problematic glycemic control trajectories from the stable on target group. Conclusions: These results can be used to identify youth who are at risk for deteriorating glycemic control over adolescence.

Relation of parent knowledge to glycemic control among emerging adults with type 1 diabetes: a mediational model.

The study goal was to examine the links of parent knowledge of children's behavior to diabetes outcomes and to test a mediational model that focused on psychological distress and self-care behavior. We recruited 132 adolescents (average age 12) and followed them to average age 23. At age 23 (n = 107), we conducted in-person interviews with these emerging adults to measure parent knowledge, psychological distress, self-care behavior and glycemic control. We used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses with these cross-sectional data. Higher levels of parent knowledge were linked to better glycemic control, and this path was mediated by reduced psychological distress and enhanced self-care behavior. Parents remain an important influence in the lives of emerging adults with type 1 diabetes. When emerging adults have a relationship with their parents in which they share general information, psychological distress may be reduced which then facilitates self-care and, ultimately, glycemic control.