Quality of life for parents of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

The purpose of this study was to examine the issue of quality of life (QOL) of parents with children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Parental QOL was measured by the Parents Diabetes Quality of Life Questionnaire. Parental life satisfaction was most affected by the burden the child's diabetes placed on the family. The event having the most impact on parental QOL was the frequency of telling others about the child's diabetes. The greatest worry was that the child would develop complications from diabetes. Parents of school-aged children experienced significantly greater life satisfaction than parents of adolescents. Married parents had higher life satisfaction than those who were divorced. Metabolic control, reflected by HbA1c values, was associated with the life satisfaction of parents.