Japanese mothers' responses to the diagnosis of childhood diabetes.

Japanese mothers who had newly diagnosed diabetic children responded with shock, defensive retreat, and increased anxiety. During this process, the degree of their isolation was shown as trauma. Although many mothers had a strong reaction and suffered depression, loss of weight, pain, and feelings of exhaustion, they adapted to the diagnosis by the end of 1 year. Compared with an American study (Hamburg & Inoff, 1983), some of the mothers' patterns of coping were similar to those used by mothers in the United States; others were related specifically to accepted Japanese cultural practices. They used several characteristic coping strategies: resignation, holding out, and believing in religion. Nurses need to be aware of the fact that mothers face a variety of psychological stress factors after their children are diagnosed as diabetic. They should be encouraged to feel and express a realistic hope.