The Role of Parental Overreactivity and Laxness in Diabetes Outcomes Among Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

Introduction Parental disciplinary behaviors, such as overreactivity and laxness , can negatively affect children′s behavior and well‐being. We examined ove rreactivity and laxness in relation to parental emotional well‐being and the behavioral, glycemic, and psychological outcomes of children and adolescents with T1D. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was conducted at five pediatric diabetes centers. Parents provided demographic and clinical information and completed questionnaires assessing parenting behavior, diabetes‐specific distress, and depressive symptoms. Children reported their frequency of glucose checking and diabetes distress. Correlation and regression analyses were used. Child age was stratified into three groups (7–10, 11–14, and 15–18 years) for subgroup analyses. Results A total of 677 parents (mean age = 43.9 [±6.3] years, 77.1% mothers) and 654 children (mean age = 12.4 [±2.8] years, 44.7 % female, diabetes duration = 5.4 [±3.8] years) participated. With increasing child age, parents reported less overreactivity ( r = −0.114, p = 0.003) and more laxness ( r = 0.104, p = 0.007). Higher overreactivity and laxness were associated with greater parental diabetes distress ( r = 0.335, p < 0.001; r = 0.119, p < 0.01) and more depressive symptoms ( r = 0.314, p < 0.001; r = 0.100, p < 0.01). After adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, both disciplinary behaviors were significant factors in child diabetes distress, and laxness predicted less frequent glucose checking. Age‐stratified analyses showed that overreactivity was linked to greater diabetes distress in children aged 7–10 years. Laxness was associated with fewer glucose checks in the 7–10 and 15–18‐year groups and with higher HbA1c and diabetes distress in adolescents aged 15–18 years. Conclusions Parents appear to use more overreactivity with younger children and more laxness as children age. Both behaviors are associated with poorer diabetes‐related outcomes. Supporting effective parenting practices may improve psychological well‐being and self‐management of youth with T1D.