Diabetes-specific family conflict and well-being in parents of adolescents with diabetes: a Dutch-Spanish comparison

Abstract

Based on initiatives that promote cross-cultural research on psychosocial factors affecting diabetes care in adolescents, this work was aimed to compare how parents of adolescents with diabetes from two different countries perceived diabetes-specific family conflict (DFC) and, to explore the relationship between DFC and parents’ well-being. Participants were parents of adolescents with diabetes from the Netherlands (n=87) and Spain (n=73). Parents completed: a socio-demographic and clinical survey, the Diabetes Family Conflict Scale (DFCS) and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. T-test and regression analyses were used. While Spanish parents reported significantly higher scores on DFCS and lower WHO-5 (p=0.01), the top three domains of conflict were similar in both populations. More family conflicts were associated with lower well-being (p=.05). Family conflicts appear similar in Spanish and Dutch parents of adolescents, allowing for comparative research on interventions aimed to improve family communication.