A Controlled Study of Psychosocial Factors in Young People with Diabetes in the United Arab Emirates VALSAMMA EAPEN, a ABDEL AZIM MABROUK, b SUFIAN SABRI, a AND SALEM BIN-OTHMAN b a Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, UAE b School Health Services, Al Ain, UAE ABSTRACT: Psychosocial factors were studied in 30 young people with diabetes and 30 control subjects in the UAE. Patients perceived them- selves more negatively than their parents on several domains. Also, they had lower scores in the areas of physical appearance and athletic compe- tence when compared to control subjects. There were significant gender differences, with girls perceiving themselves more negatively. Better ma- ternal education and availability of social support were associated with a positive self-image in the child. Parents of children exhibiting behav- ioral/emotional problems had a higher score on the parental General Health Questionnaire. Awareness and understanding of these psychoso- cial variables can help healthcare providers to target these issues as part of comprehensive diabetes management. KEYWORDS: childhood diabetes; United Arab Emirates; diabetes care; psychosocial factors; self-perceptions; self-esteem; gender differences INTRODUCTION Psychological well-being and coping in the context of chronic physical ill- ness is a challenge for children as well as their families. However, in the era of increasingly sophisticated and high technological medicine and surgery, it is all too easy to overlook the emotional needs of the child and the family. Behav- ioral science research in the last few decades has significantly advanced our understanding of the psychosocial issues in the context of pediatric diabetes. 1 However, these issues vary from one culture to another, and hence the need to study these factors locally in each community. Address for correspondence: V. Eapen, Ph.D., FRCPsych, Professor of Child Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, PO Box 17666, Al Ain, UAE. Voice: +971-3-713-7441; fax: +971-3- 767-2995. e-mail: veapen@uaeu.ac.ae Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1084: 325–328 (2006). C  2006 New York Academy of Sciences. doi: 10.1196/annals.1372.020 325