Adolescent girls with diabetes are at risk for RH complications and unplanned pregnancies. Tight glycemic control with PC can reduce these risks. Social support from significant others has improved health outcomes in people with diabetes, and may help adolescent girls regarding RH. This secondary analysis: 1)described the amount (1=no help, to 7=a lot of help) and type of available SS (3 subscales: emotional, informational, and instrumental) perceived by adolescent females with diabetes toward RH behaviors and seeking PC; 2)examined the construct validity among total and subscale scores of a SS measure adapted for RH and diabetes; 3)examined the associations of SS with RH behaviors (e.g., birth control), seeking PC, and RH communication with healthcare providers (HCPs). Baseline data were used from 113 adolescent girls with diabetes (90% T1D; duration of diabetes of 9.3±3.9 years; average HbA1c 8.4±1.7%; mean±SD age of 16.2±1.6 years; 81% white, 20% sexually active), who participated in READY-Girls Trial testing the efficacy of a PC intervention to reduce RH complications among adolescents with diabetes. Teens completed measures on SS, RH behaviors, seeking PC, and communication with HCPs. Descriptive, correlational, and regression analyses were performed. Adolescents perceived on average moderately high levels of SS: total (5.5±1.5), emotional (5.5±1.6), instrumental (5.4±1.5), and informational (5.6±1.5); 31% had some communication with HCPs. There were significant associations between total SS and all its subscales (p<.05) and among all SS subscales (p<.05). Significant associations were found between emotional and instrumental SS with effective use of birth control (p=.047, .055). Our measure of SS appears to have strong construct validity with trends for concurrent validity. Following further psychometric analyses, this SS measure could help advance research in the area.

Disclosure

H. Abujaradeh: None. S.M. Sereika: None. D.J. Becker: Other Relationship; Self; Jaeb Center for Health Research, MannKind Corporation, Sanofi Research & Development. A.F. Fischl: None. D. Charron-Prochownik: None.

Funding

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD-044097); Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (M01-RR-0084); Pediatric Clinical and Translational Research Center; National Center for Research Resources (UL1-RR-024153); National Institute of Nursing Research (P30-NR-03924)

© 2019 by the American Diabetes Association.
2019
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