Topical Review: Developmental Framework of Moderators of Family Conflict for Type 1 Diabetes Outcomes

Abstract

To present a developmental framework of family conflict in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) that aims to guide future research. Developmental and pediatric literature are reviewed to highlight family factors that may modify the degree to which diabetes-related family conflict is related to adolescent health outcomes. Developmental literature suggests that family conflict is not inherently bad; rather, conflict that arises under optimal conditions (moderate frequency, warm and accepting relationships) can be adaptive for adolescents. However, family conflict is consistently associated with poor disease outcomes in youth with T1D, with few researchers examining specific moderators of these associations. In this topical review, we highlight moderators of family conflict and developmental outcomes identified in adolescents without chronic illness (e.g., cultural factors, parent-child relationship quality, conflict characteristics) and how these moderators may operate for a pediatric chronic illness such as T1D. Incorporating conceptualizations of family conflict from mainstream developmental research has important implications for future research and intervention adaptations on family conflict in pediatric populations.