The Effects of Locus of Control and Parental Attitudes on the Management of Diabetes in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Objective: This study sought to evaluate the effects of locus of control and parental attitudes on the management of Type 1 diabetes mellitus in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Material and Methods: The study was designed as a descriptive and crosssectional study and was conducted with 74 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 16 years with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. The study data were collected using the Adolescents with Diabetes Information Form, Internal-external Locus of Control Scale, Parental Attitudes Scale and Metabolic Control Results Form in face-to-face interviews at Süleyman Demirel University Research and Application Hospital and Pamukkale University Hospital located in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions of Turkey. The study data were analyzed using Predictive Analytics Software 18. The study variables were analyzed using parametric statistical techniques, independent samples t-test and the Pearson correlation test. Furthermore, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine whether the variables show normal distribution or not; p<0.05 value was accepted as the level of statistical significance. Finally, descriptive statistics were also used in the study. Results: A significant difference between locus of control and fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c levels in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (p<0.05). The study results also suggested a significant relationship between democratic parental attitudes and HbA1c levels, between protective-demanding parental attitudes and fasting plasma glucose variables, and between authoritarian parental attitudes and fasting plasma glucose variables (p<0.05). Conclusion: The study results indicated that locus of control and parental attitudes in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes mellitus had a far-reaching impact on diabetes management.