Sense of Coherence and Parenting Representation among Parents of Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

INTRODUCTION

This study examines the association between parental sense of coherence (SOC) and maternal and paternal representations of parents of adolescents diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (IDDM).

METHOD

Seventy five mothers and fathers of adolescents (age 13-18) diagnosed with IDDM, were recruited. Data were gathered from a demographic and SOC questionnaires, and the Parenting Representations Interview (PRI-A).

RESULTS

A significant association was found between mothers' and fathers' SOC and a more balanced description of parenting, and positive correlations between mothers' and fathers' SOC and their representations of the self as parent, representations of the adolescent, and relationships representations. Furthermore, a negative correlation was found between parents' SOC and less differentiated relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

SOC may promote well-being in spite of exposure to challenging circumstances as parenting an adolescent with IDDM. It appears that fathers and mothers need to and can be addressed as significant caregivers in any treatment or clinical intervention, as they have a relative involvement in taking care of children and therefore sharing the caregiving responsibilities and functioning as co-primary caregivers.

Parental resolution and the adolescent's health and adjustment: The case of adolescents with type 1 diabetes

This study examines the association between parents' resolution of their adolescent child's diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and the health and mental adjustment of the adolescents themselves. Parents of 75 adolescents with type 1 diabetes were interviewed using the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview. Parents and adolescents completed questionnaires regarding the child's physical health, self-management of the disease, and behavioral and emotional problems. Physicians reported adolescents' HbA1c levels. Results showed that adolescents whose fathers were resolved with the diagnosis exhibited better diabetes self-management and adolescents whose mothers were resolved with the diagnosis exhibited fewer internalizing and externalizing problems. The findings highlight the different role of mothers and fathers in the treatment of adolescents with diabetes and provide a basis for clinical intervention that focuses not only on adolescent health, but also on parental state of mind regarding the resolution with the disease.

Sense of Coherence and Resolution with Diagnosis among Parents of Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

INTRODUCTION

The current study focuses on parents' sense of coherence and its association to their resolution of the child's disease.

METHODS

We conducted a study of 122 mothers and fathers of adolescents who had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes to assess their SOC and their reactions to their child's diagnosis.

RESULTS

A significant difference was found in SOC between parents who have come to terms with their child's disease and parents who have not.

CONCLUSION

Findings may testify to the importance of parents' state of mind as a resource for reconstructing their caregiving system.

Parents' sense of coherence and the adolescent's health and emotional and behavioral adjustment: the case of adolescents with diabetes

INTRODUCTION

This study examines parental sense of coherence (SOC) as a resource to health and well-being among adolescents with diabetes.

METHOD

Participants were recruited by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and a major pediatric diabetes clinic. Parents of 75 adolescents with type 1 diabetes completed the SOC Questionnaire. Parents and adolescents completed questionnaires regarding the child's physical health, disease self-management, and behavioral problems. Parents and physicians reported adolescent's HbA1c level.

RESULTS

Results showed that parents' SOC was positively correlated to adolescents' physical health and negatively to internalizing problems.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the place of parents in the wellness of adolescents with disease and provide a basis for interventions that enhance adolescents' health and psychological adjustment.

The Concept of Time in Rehabilitation and Psychosocial Adaptation to Chronic Illness and Disability

The first part of this article focused on providing the reader with a general overview of the concept of time with special emphasis on understanding time’s role in the structure of personality theories and their associated therapeutic approaches, as well as linking the discussion to the understanding of time in the context of psychosocial adaptation to chronic illnesses and disabilities (CIDs). In the second part of this article, the author seeks to (a) briefly comment on the association among death, disability, and time; (b) discuss findings from the clinical and empirical literatures regarding time perception/orientation within the context of psychiatric disabilities; (c) review findings on the relationships between time perception/orientation and psychosocial adaptation to CIDs; and (d) highlight those treatment modalities that have been suggested for individuals whose disabilities have resulted in time distortions.

Mental time travel after trauma: the specificity and temporal distribution of autobiographical memories and future-directed thoughts

The present study investigated the relationship between trauma exposure and specificity and temporal distribution of autobiographical memories and future-directed thoughts. A group of sexual assault victims were compared with women without previous trauma exposure in relation to specificity of autobiographical memories, as measured by the Autobiographical Memory Task (AMT) and specificity of future-directed thoughts as measured by the Future Cueing Task (FCT). The temporal distribution of future-directed thoughts and autobiographical memories was studied by asking the participants to estimate when each memory reported on the AMT had occurred and when each future event reported on the FCT would occur. The results showed no difference between the trauma group and the controls on specificity of autobiographical memories and future-directed thoughts. In line with a review of Moore and Zoellner (2007), PTSD symptoms as measured by the Impact of Event Scale (IES) correlated negatively with specificity. Furthermore, we observed no difference in temporal distribution of future-directed thoughts or autobiographical memories between trauma exposed participants and controls.

Denial of Chronic Illness and Disability: Part II. Research Findings, Measurement Considerations, and Clinical Aspects

The concept of denial has been an integral part of the psychological and disability studies bodies of literature for over 100 years.Yet, denial is a highly elusive concept and has been associated with mixed, indeed conflicting theoretical perspectives, clinical strategies, and empirical findings. In part II the author reviews empirical findings, measurement strategies, and clinical approaches associated with denial, with particular emphasis on rehabilitation-specific findings and implications. It focuses on empirical findings linking the use of denial to a number of psychosocial outcomes, measures that have been employed in the assessment of denial and, intervention strategies to manage denial. Part II concludes with a brief discussion of the implications generated by the current understanding of denial to rehabilitation practitioners and researchers.