Educational and psychological factors in the management of diabetes in childhood.

Thirty-seven diabetic children and their parents were studied with respect to their level of understanding of the nature and management of diabetes as well as their attitude towards, and acceptance of the disease. These were then compared with the adequacy of their management, as evidenced by the frequency of hospital readmissions. In those families in which the child's disease was poorly managed, the parents were found to know significantly less about diabetes than those parents whose children were well managed. Similarly, those families in which the child's management was poor, were found to have a high level of family maladjustment, while the parents had a poor attitude towards and were unable to accept their child and his disease. It was also found taht diabetic children as a whole have a high level of social maladjustment but do not feel they are greatly "different" from their fellows.