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Abstract:

Objectives. Although benefit finding has been associated with better psychosocial well-being in numerous chronic illness populations, few studies have examined benefit finding in the context of type 1 diabetes. In addition, little research has focused on children and adolescents. Adolescence is a difficult time for managing diabetes as evidenced by deteriorating metabolic control, poorer adherence, and heightened emotional distress. Understanding factors that predict adolescents’ treatment adherence is important as self-management behaviors established during adolescence may carry well into adulthood. In the present study, we investigated longitudinal interrelations among benefit finding, treatment adherence, and metabolic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Methods. Adolescents with type 1 diabetes aged 10 to 14 (Mage = 12.49 years, 54% girls) participated in a four-wave longitudinal study spanning approximately 1.5 years (N=252 at Time 1). At each wave, adolescents filled out questionnaires on benefit finding and treatment adherence. HbA1c values were obtained from treating clinicians. Cross-lagged path analysis was used to examine longitudinal interrelations among the study variables. Results. Higher levels of benefit finding were found to predict relative increases in treatment adherence over time, after controlling for the effects of sex, age, illness duration and treatment type (pump vs. injections). No significant cross-lagged associations emerged between benefit finding and HbA1c. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that benefit finding may serve as a protective factor for adolescents with type 1 diabetes and may motivate these adolescents to more closely follow their treatment regimen. The period of adolescence might be particularly suitable for interventions promoting patients’ benefit finding given the emergence of future-oriented thoughts and concerns, the increasing responsibility for diabetes management, and the development of coping skills.