Abstract
The experience of diabetes in young people was investigated within the theoretical framework of the extended health belief model (EHBM). It was anticipated that participant reports of high internal locus of control, high diabetes related empowerment, coping with hypoglycaemia, and diabetes related social support would be associated with good patient adherence to the self-care regime. 118 participants aged 16-25 years with Type 1 diabetes mellitus were sent a set of questionnaires incorporating previously published scales measuring all variables of the EHBM. High levels of family support and low locus of control beliefs in powerful others to control their diabetes reduce the young person's perception of severity and vulnerability to diabetes related complications. High internal locus of control beliefs and high levels of self-efficacy predicted the benefits of adhering to the self-care regime as outweighing the costs of doing so. Adherence to self-care regime was predicted by high levels of family support. The final model explained 12% of the variance in the young person's adherence to diabetes self-care regime. It is proposed that the EHBM is an adequate model for understanding the socio-psychological factors present in the young person's appraisal of their diabetes, which, in turn, influences adherence to the diabetes self-care regime.
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