Teaching assertive communication skills to adolescents with diabetes: evaluation of a camp curriculum

Diabetes Educ. 1993 Mar-Apr;19(2):136-41. doi: 10.1177/014572179301900208.

Abstract

Diabetes management requires consistently implementing adherence behaviors in a variety of settings. For some adolescents, consistency may be difficult due to problems in communication and assertiveness. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a camp curriculum to teach assertive communication skills to adolescents with diabetes. The curriculum included didactic information, sharing of personal experiences, and role playing. Results showed a significant increase in adolescents' perceptions of their assertiveness from before to after the camp experience, an increase that was still apparent at a 3-month follow-up. No changes were reported in parental perceptions of their adolescents' degree of openness in communicating or in communication problems. In contrast, adolescents reported a significant decrease in their degree of openness in communicating with fathers, with a similar trend for mothers. These results suggest that the curriculum was successful in meeting the primary goal of enhancing the adolescents' assertive communication skills but had a questionable impact on their general communications with parents.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Assertiveness*
  • Camping
  • Communication*
  • Curriculum*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / prevention & control*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Patient Education as Topic / standards*
  • Program Evaluation