Relationship between Quality of Life and Adult Attachment Factors in Mothers of Children with and without Type 1 Diabetes

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Nov 25;20(23):7109. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20237109.

Abstract

The mothers of children with a specific clinical situation such as type 1 diabetes mellitus may have a higher level of stress, causing a worse perception of their quality of life, greater anxiety, and greater avoidance (adult attachment factors). The objective of this research was to verify if there is a relationship between the adult attachment factors of mothers of children with and without type 1 diabetes mellitus and the perception of the quality of life of these mothers. This survey was carried out from July to September 2022, with mothers of children aged 5 to 10 years, with and without diabetes. The data were collected through an online questionnaire, with socioeconomic data from the attachment scale Experience in Close Relationship-(Reduced), and the questionnaire on the quality of life, the WHOQOL-abbreviated questionnaire. For statistical analysis, the Statistical Package for Social Science 24 was used. A total of 45 mothers of children with DM1 and 55 mothers of healthy children were evaluated. The mothers of children with DM1 had a worse perception of their quality of life when compared to the mothers of healthy children (p < 0.05), with no difference in terms of the attachment style. Therefore, it is understood that actions aimed at improving the quality of life of these mothers are necessary.

Keywords: adult attachment style; maternity; quality of life; type 1 diabetes mellitus.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anxiety
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Child
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mothers
  • Object Attachment
  • Quality of Life