Parental Self-Control as a Moderator of the Association between Family Conflict and Type 1 Diabetes Management

Objective: To examine whether parental self-control (i.e., parents' ability to regulate their emotions, cognitions, and behaviors) moderates the detrimental association between type 1 diabetes (T1D)-specific family conflict and adherence and HbA1c, such that conflict is most detrimental when parental self-control is low. Methods: One hundred and forty-nine adolescents diagnosed with T1D (Mage = 14.09; 53% female) reported on their T1D-specific conflict with their mothers and fathers and their adherence to the T1D regimen at two time points (6 months apart). Mothers and fathers reported on their self-control. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was obtained from the medical record at both time points. Results: Higher adolescent-reported conflict with father was associated concurrently with higher HbA1c and lower adherence only for fathers with low self-control (ps <. 05). Higher adolescent-reported conflict with mother was also associated concurrently with lower adherence only for mothers with lower self-control (p <. 05); no significant moderation was found for mothers' self-control in predicting HbA1c. Longitudinal analyses indicated family conflict with mother predicted changes in adherence and HbA1c, but there were no significant moderating effects of either mother or father self-control. Conclusions: Lower parental self-control may prevent parents from handling diabetes-related family conflict in a productive manner. We discuss the implications of parental self-control as an intervention target for health care professionals working with adolescents with T1D and their families.