Gender differences in the relationship between parental report of self-regulation skills and adolescents' management of type 1 diabetes

Objective: To examine the extent to which self-regulation skills of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D), including executive functioning and emotion regulation, relate to treatment adherence and glycemic control. Method: Participants were 109 adolescents aged 12-18 yr with TID and their primary caregiver who attended an outpatient appointment at a pediatric endocrinology clinic. Parents and adolescents completed a measure of treatment adherence. Parents completed a self-regulation measure while a glycemic control measure [i.e., hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)] was collected. Results: For boys, executive functioning and emotion regulation deficits were significantly associated with worse treatment adherence and glycemic control. Further analyses indicated that emotion regulation was the primary self-regulation measure related to treatment adherence and glycemic control. No significant associations were found for girls. Conclusion: For adolescent boys, the ability to cope with various stressors and emotions may be as important as higher-order thinking skills for maximizing treatment adherence and diabetes control. Clinical implications and potential mechanisms by which emotion regulation skills relate to adolescent boys' diabetes treatment management are discussed.