Parents' Understanding of and Guilt Over Their Children's Blood Glucose Control

Abstract

Parents (n =145) of 86 children with diabetes who attended an educational seminar wrote anonymous responses to questions about poor glycemic control, guilt feelings, and coping behaviors. Children from this group were similar to our clinic population in age, sex, duration of diabetes, and HbA1 levels. Results revealed a wide range of ideas about the meaning of poor control, intense feelings of guilt, and maladaptive responses. The largest number of parents had feelings of guilt relating to dietary issues. Parents of children with diabetes have stresses that frequently may go unrecognized and may require professional help to overcome.