Parent Report of Mealtime Behavior and Parenting Stress in Young Children With Type 1 Diabetes and in Healthy Control Subjects

• Published in: Diabetes care Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 313 - 318
• Main Authors: POWERS, Scott W, BYARS, Kelly C, MITCHELL, Monica J, PATION, Susana R, STANDIFORD, Debbie A, DOLAN, Lawrence M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria, VA American Diabetes Association 01-02-2002
• Subjects: Adult; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Diabetes; Diabetes in children; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - psychology; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Diabetics; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Family Health; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Health aspects; Humans; Infant; Management. Various non-drug treatments. Langerhans islet grafts; Meals; Medical sciences; Parent-Child Relations; Parents & parenting; Parents - psychology; Psychological aspects; Social aspects; Stress; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Type 1 diabetes; United States; Endocrinopathy; Human; Immunopathology; Pediatrics; Correlation; Socioeconomic status; Healthy subject; Parent; Sex; Autoimmune disease; Stress; Insulin dependent diabetes; Hospital; Reliability; Child; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0149-5992; 1935-5548
• DOI: 10.2337/diacare.25.2.313

Parent Report of Mealtime Behavior and Parenting Stress in Young Children With Type 1 Diabetes and in Healthy Control Subjects
Scott W. Powers , PHD 1 2 3 ,
Kelly C. Byars , PSY.D 1 2 3 ,
Monica J. Mitchell , PHD 1 2 3 ,
Susana R. Patton , PHD 1 2 ,
Debbie A. Standiford , RN 1 4 and
Lawrence M. Dolan , MD 1 3 4
1 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
2 Division of Psychology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
3 University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
4 Division of Endocrinology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
Abstract
OBJECTIVE —This study assessed parent report of mealtime behavior and parenting stress in preschoolers with type 1 diabetes. It was
hypothesized that children with type 1 diabetes would be seen as exhibiting more mealtime behavior problems and that their
parents would evidence greater parenting stress when compared with healthy subjects. It was also hypothesized that report
of mealtime behavior problems would be positively correlated with parenting stress.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —A total of 40 children (aged 1–6 years) with type 1 diabetes were recruited from a pediatric hospital. Another 40 children
matched for age, sex, marital status, and socioeconomic status were used as control subjects. Reliable and valid parent report
measures, such as the Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale and the Parenting Stress Index, were used for data collection.
RESULTS —Parents of children with type 1 diabetes reported more behavioral feeding problems than parents of healthy control subjects.
Additionally, parents of children with type 1 diabetes reported higher frequencies of parenting behaviors associated with
poor nutritional intake and a greater number of parenting problems concerning mealtimes when compared with parents of healthy
control subjects. Parents of children with type 1 diabetes also reported higher stress levels than parents of control subjects.
A moderate relationship between mealtime behavior problems and general parenting stress was observed for families coping with
type 1 diabetes.
CONCLUSIONS —Mealtime problems reported in preschool children with type 1 diabetes are appropriate targets for behavioral intervention.
Behavioral observation techniques and training in child behavior management skills should be used in future research aimed
at assessing and treating barriers to effective nutrition management in young children with type 1 diabetes.
BPFAS, Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale
CCHMC, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
MANOVA, multivariate analysis of variance
PDC, Pediatric Diabetes Center
PSI, Parenting Stress Index
SES, socioeconomic strata
Footnotes
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Scott W. Powers, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s
Hospital Medical Center, Division of Psychology, Sabin Education Center 4th Floor, ML:D-3015, 3333 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati,
Ohio 45229-3039. E-mail: scottpowers{at}chmcc.org .
Received for publication 29 June 2001 and accepted in revised form 6 November 2001.
A table elsewhere in this issue shows conventional and Système International (SI) units and conversion factors for many substances.