Emotional factors in juvenile diabetes mellitus: a study of the early life experiences of eight diabetic children.

The developmental history of eight diabetic children was compared with that of their nondiabetic siblings. On the basis of data obtained through interviews with the children and their families, as well as a chart review, we advance the hypothesis that an as yet unspecified metabolic "pre-diabetic" pathophysiological condition may be reflected in disturbances of appetite, satiation and weight regulation appearing early in life in those children who may later develop clinical diabetes mellitus. We further hypothesize that these dysfunctions are accompanied by a disturbance in important psychological developmental processes, compounding the liability a physiologically susceptible individual suffers. The results are discussed in terms of previous psychosomatic research.