The functioning of the parents’ emotional sphere is very important to a child’s mental and physical health. This study focused on investigating the association between mothers’ emotional intelligence (EI) and paediatric type I diabetes (T1DM) disease management in their children. We hypothesized that mothers’ EI is associated with T1DM outcomes. Mothers of children with T1DM aged 6–12 years were surveyed. One hundred and thirty-four mothers, the main caregivers of their diabetic children, provided measures of EI and completed a demographic questionnaire. The primary indicator of diabetes management was haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c; the main form of glycosylated haemoglobin). EI scales and subscales were associated with glycaemic management indices. Logistic regression analysis was applied for the assessment of the association between parents’ EI and their paediatric with T1DM disease management. The analysis demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between T1DM management and mothers’ ability to understand and control own emotions, to transform their own negative emotions into positive and to control own negative emotions. Mothers’ EI scales and subscales of understanding and regulating their own emotions, subscales of transforming their own negative emotions into positive ones and controlling their own negative emotions were statistically reliable predictors of glycaemic control in children with T1DM.

The functioning of the parents’ emotional sphere is very important to a child’s mental and physical health. This study focused on investigating the association between mothers’ emotional intelligence (EI) and paediatric type I diabetes (T1DM) disease management in their children. We hypothesized that mothers’ EI is associated with T1DM outcomes. Mothers of children with T1DM aged 6-12 years were surveyed. One hundred and thirty-four mothers, the main caregivers of their diabetic children, provided measures of EI and completed a demographic questionnaire. The primary indicator of diabetes management was haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c; the main form of glycosylated haemoglobin). EI scales and subscales were associated with glycaemic management indices. Logistic regression analysis was applied for the assessment of the association between parents’ EI and their paediatric with T1DM disease management. The analysis demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between T1DM management and mothers’ ability to understand and control own emotions, to transform their own negative emotions into positive and to control own negative emotions. Mothers’ EI scales and subscales of understanding and regulating their own emotions, subscales of transforming their own negative emotions into positive ones and controlling their own negative emotions were statistically reliable predictors of glycaemic control in children with T1DM.

Background. Parent-child relationship and parenting style are very important for the child’s mental and physical health. This study was focused on investigating the association between mothers’ parenting style (PS) and their children’s with type I diabetes (T1DM) disease management. We hypothesized that mothers’ PS interact with their children’s T1DM outcomes. Methods. One hundred thirty-one mothers, the main caregivers of their diabetic children, filled in the parenting style and demographic questionnaires. The indicator of diabetes management was Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) – the main form of glycosylated haemoglobin. PS scales and subscales were associated with glycaemic management indices. Binary logistic regression analysis was applied for the assessment of the association between mothers’ PS and their children’s with T1DM disease management. Results. While logistic regression analysis did not demonstrate statistically significant interaction of T1DM management and mothers’ PS scales and subscales, cluster analysis showed that in the confrontation with T1DM, the relationships between children and parents were dominated by negative elements of PS: lack of emotional warmth, support, reasoning and especially democratic participation. Conclusion. Children’s T1DM management and their mothers’ PS scales and subscales did not demonstrate statistically significant interaction. PS negative elements dominate in mothers’ upbringing: lack of emotional warmth, support, reasoning and especially democratic participation. Keywords: type 1 diabetes, parenting skills, parenting style, diabetes management.

Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Teorinės psichologijos katedra Raktažodžiai VISUOMENĖS SVEIKATA Į vadasCukrinis diabetas -viena grėsmingiausių mūsų amžiaus ligų, tampanti aktualia medicinine ir psichosocialine problema. Pasaulinė sveikatos organizacijos (PSO) duomenimis, per 10 metų cukrinio diabeto sergamumas padidėjo 5,3 karto. Lietuvos Respublikos sveikatos apsaugos ministerijos duomenimis, šalyje įregistruota beveik 70 tūkstančių sergančiųjų cukriniu diabetu, o 2001 m. šis skaičius nesiekė 53 tūkstančių. Cukrinio diabeto paplitimas Lietuvoje 9,4 proc., Europoje paplitimo vidurkis -7,8 proc., o pasaulyje -5,1 proc. (1). Sergančiųjų cukrinių diabetu pasaulyje sparčiai daugėja, ir ši liga pasiekusi jau epideminį lygį netgi ir ekonomiškai išsivysčiusiose šalyse (2).Cukrinis diabetas, lėtinė ir sunki liga, visiškai pakeičia žmogaus gyvenimą socialiniu ir psichologiniu aspektu. Ypač pažeidžiami lėtinės ligos tampa vyresnio amžiaus mokiniai paaugliai. Paauglystė yra naujų iššūkių ir išbandymų metas siekiant nepriklausomybės, identiteto bei bendraamžių priėmimo. Cukrinis diabetas įspraudžia paauglį į rėmus: ligai kontroliuoti kasdien reikia 4-5 insulino injekcijų, būtina tikrinti gliukozės kiekį kraujyje, apskaičiuoti angliavandenių kiekį maiste, riboti fizinį krūvį. Kasdienė ir griežta Adresas susirašinėti: L. Šinkariova, VDU Teorinės psichologijos katedra, K. Donelaičio 52, 44244 Kaunas El. paštas: liudasink@gmail.com ligos kontroliavimo našta apsunkina paauglio susitaikymą su liga ir savęs, kaip sergančiojo, priėmimą, sukelia kitų psichologinių ir socialinių problemų. Nuolat išgyvenama įtampa griežtai kontroliuojant ligą, įvairių komplikacijų baimė, žema savivertė, pakitęs kūno suvokimas ir aiškios ateities nebuvimas sąlygoja cukriniu diabetu sergančių paauglių depresiškumą. Depresija yra didelė psichinės sveikatos problema, paliečianti didelį procentą sergančiųjų lėtinėmis ligomis (2). Cukriniu diabetu sergantys paaugliai 2-3 kartus dažniau suserga depresija nei jų sveiki bendraamžiai (3). K. Kokkonen ir E. Kokkonen (1995) paskelbė, kad 12 proc. 8-12 metų vaikų ir 18 proc. paauglių, sergančių cukriniu diabetu, diagnozuota depresija (3). Be to, cukriniu diabetu ir depresija sergantiems paaugliams neretai diagnozuojama valgymo, elgesio ir adaptacijos sutrikimų (4). Depresiškumas glaudžiai susijęs su ligos kontrole: depresiškesni cukriniu diabetu sergantys paaugliai prasčiau kontroliuoja diabetą nei paaugliai, neturintys emocinių sutrikimų (5).Cukrinis diabetas paliečia ir paauglio šeimą: vaiko lėtinė liga yra sunkus išgyvenimas visiems šeimos nariams. Cukrinis diabetas, dažniau nei kitos lėtinės ligos, sukelia įtampą ligonio šeimos nariams (6). Šeimos