P-410: Beyond glycemic control: decision fatigue as an independent predictor of parental diabetes distress in pediatric diabetes
D Bingöl Aydın, H C Emeksiz, D BudakAbstract
Introduction
Parents of children with diabetes are required to make frequent and often complex decisions, which can be mentally demanding. While emotional distress in caregivers has been widely studied, the contribution of decision fatigue remains underexplored.
Objectives
To examine the relationship between decision fatigue and parental diabetes-related stress and to identify factors associated with parental stress in caregivers of children with diabetes.
Methods
This cross-sectional study included 40 parents of children with diabetes. The mean age of the children was 12.5 ± 3.31 years, and 52.5% were male. The mean age of mothers was 41.0 ± 6.61 years and fathers 44.7 ± 6.32 years. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, a Decision Fatigue Scale, and a Parental Diabetes Stress Scale. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed.
Results
Decision fatigue was moderately and positively correlated with parental stress (r = 0.464, p = 0.001). In multiple linear regression analysis, decision fatigue remained a significant predictor of parental stress (β = 0.409, p = 0.003), explaining 27.8% of the variance (R2 = 0.278). Other variables, including diabetes duration, age, and sibling number, were not significantly associated with parental stress.
Conclusions
Decision fatigue is independently associated with parental stress in pediatric diabetes. These findings suggest that the cognitive demands of daily diabetes management may play a meaningful role in caregiver well-being, beyond traditional clinical factors. Addressing decision fatigue may represent a potential target for supportive interventions.