Mother–Child Appraised Involvement in Coping with Diabetes Stressors and Emotional Adjustment

Objective To examine how children’s and mother’s appraisals of each other’s involvement in coping with diabetes events are associated with emotional adjustment. Methods One hundred and twenty-seven children (ages 10–15 years) with type 1 diabetes and their mothers reported on their own emotional adjustment and how each other was involved in coping strategies surrounding diabetes stressful events. Results Appraisals that mothers and children were uninvolved with each other’s stressors were associated with greater depressive symptoms and less positive mood; children’s appraisals of mother’s supportive involvement with children’s less depressive symptoms, and appraisals of collaborative involvement with less depressive symptoms and more positive mood for both mothers and children. Appraised control was most detrimental for children for older females and for mothers of younger children. Conclusions Collaborative involvement in coping efforts may be an important resource for addressing negative emotions that both children and mothers experience surrounding type 1 diabetes, especially across adolescence. Key words childhood illness; coping; emotional adjustment; parental involvement; stress; type 1 diabetes