Discrepancies between mother and adolescent perceptions of diabetes-related decision-making autonomy and their relationship to diabetes-related conflict and adherence to treatment.

OBJECTIVE To document the relationship between discrepancies in mother and adolescent perceptions of diabetes-related decision-making autonomy, diabetes-related conflict, and regimen adherence. METHODS The sample was composed of 82 mother-adolescent dyads. Measures included adolescent and mother reports of diabetes-related decision-making autonomy, diabetes-related conflict, and regimen adherence. Nurses' reports of adherence and number of glucose tests performed each day were also obtained. RESULTS Discrepancies between mother and adolescent perceptions of decision-making autonomy were related to greater maternal report of diabetes-related conflict. In particular, when adolescents reported that they were more in charge of decisions than reported by their mothers, mothers reported more conflict. Discrepancies between mother and adolescent perceptions of decision-making autonomy were not related to regimen adherence. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that discrepancies between mother and adolescent perceptions of diabetes-related decision-making autonomy may be a potentially important area for intervention.