Ability to Cope With Type 1 Diabetes

The purpose of this study is to learn about the relationship that exists between coping skills and blood glucose control. In addition to this, we will study the effect of Type 1 diabetes on coping skills in different age groups, genders, ethnicities, socioeconomic groups, and the duration of diabetes.

Coping with type 1 diabetes can be very difficult. Type 1 diabetes is a very unique chronic disease because it requires constant attention to several responsibilities such as daily glucose monitoring, multiple daily insulin doses, and strict diet and exercise. Several studies have shown that increased rates of poorer glucose control are a result of struggling to cope with type 1 diabetes. This may be due to the fact that many type 1 diabetics experience a feeling of exhaustion, or "burnout," after a certain period of time due to an overwhelming amount of responsibility. In our study we would like to determine how children's ability to cope with diabetes affects glucose control. By completing several questionnaires, we can analyze different kinds of coping skills through a complex scoring system. These scores will then be analyzed in comparison to your glucose control using HbA1c.