Illness representations and coping as predictors of emotional well-being in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Description/Abstract

Objectives: To test whether coping acts to mediate the relationships between illness representations and emotional well-being in adolescents with diabetes.

Methods: Seventy adolescents between 11 and 18 years of age were asked to complete the Diabetes Illness Representations Questionnaire (DIRQ), the Well-being Questionnaire, and the Kidcope.

Results: Perceived impact, identity, and cognitive restructuring were significant independent predictors for depressive symptomatology. For anxiety, perceived impact and identity were significant predictors, and for positive emotional well-being, treatment effectiveness to control diabetes was the only significant predictor. Multiple regression analyses indicated that coping did not mediate the association between illness representations and positive emotional well-being.

Conclusions: Perceived impact was consistently associated with participants' indices of negative emotional well-being. Contrary to the hypothesized model, coping did not mediate the association between illness representations and emotional well-being in this sample.