The Relationship between Stressors of diabetes and General Health among parents with type I Diabetics Children

Diabetes Mellitus, like any other chronic disease in children, can cause serious health problems among their family member. On the other hand psychological responses in family to their child disease, can effect the childerns reactions. We therefore, conducted this study to determine relationship between the effect of type I diabetes in children, as a stress factor, and it relationship with general health among parents.Subjects and For this purpose, 66 parents with type1 diabetic children, who referred to diabetic clinic of Ahwaz Golestan hospital and diabetic center, were selected by simple sampling. The following data were collected:A general health questionnaire (GHQ), a questionnaire of stressors to parents due to diabetes in their child and demographic characteristic form. The results showed, only 24/02% of parents with diabetic child had general normal health level. Probability of hospital admission of child, development of diabetic complication hypoglycemic shock, marriage of child and his\her having a child, were main stressing factors to the parents.The was a significant correlation (p<0/01) between these stress factors and the parents general health. Furthermore, there was significant relationship between stress factors and general health of the parents with the duration of childrens disease, parent’s educations and positive family history of diabetes mellitus. However, there was no singnificant relationship with the sex of the child.these findings indicated that children with diabetes act as stress factors that can effect the general health of their parents and appropriate psychological attention and support is needed to be provided to these parents.