Brief report: Hope, perceived maternal empathy, medical regimen adherence, and glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE The relationships among hope, perceived maternal empathy, medical regimen adherence, and glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes were examined. METHOD Twenty-nine girls and 21 boys with type 1 diabetes completed measures of hope, perceived maternal empathy, and medical regimen adherence. Each participant's most recent hemoglobin A1c, a measure of glycemic control, was obtained from the diabetes clinic database. RESULTS Significant correlations were found among hope, perceived maternal empathy, and medical regimen adherence. Significant correlations were also found among hope, perceived maternal empathy, and glycemic control. Adolescents' perceptions of maternal empathy were positively correlated with level of hope. Hope appeared to mediate the relationship between perceived maternal empathy and adherence, as well as between perceived maternal empathy and glycemic control. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study affirm the need for longitudinal research that examines the associations among hope, perceived maternal empathy, medical regimen adherence, and glycemic control.