1542-P: Coping in Context: How Perceived Social Support and Socioeconomic Factors Shape Maternal Coping Strategies in Adolescent Type 1 Diabetes Care

Introduction and Objective: Maternal caregivers are central to adolescent type 1 diabetes (T1D) management, and their psychological well-being impacts youth outcomes. We sought to determine whether perceived social support among maternal caregivers was linked with greater use of adaptive coping and less avoidant coping. Methods: We analyzed baseline data from a behavioral intervention trial, including 151 maternal caregivers of adolescents with T1D (ages 11-17). Caregivers completed validated measures of perceived social support (MSPSS), primary control, secondary control, and disengagement coping (RSQ), and diabetes distress (DDS-Parent). Multiple linear regression models tested associations of perceived social support and each coping subtype, adjusting for demographics and testing support-by-income interactions. Results: Greater perceived social support was significantly associated with increased use of primary (B=0.02) and secondary control coping (B=0.02) and decreased disengagement coping (B=-0.01, all p<0.01). Higher caregiver diabetes distress was associated with reduced primary control (B=-0.02) and secondary control coping (B=-0.02, both p=0.05). Lower income was associated with increased use of secondary control coping (B=0.10), while higher income was associated with decreased disengagement coping (B=-0.05, both p<0.05). The interaction effects were significant; the association between increased social support and greater secondary control coping use was weaker in low-income families (B=-0.02, p=0.014). Social support’s protective effect on disengagement coping was reduced in high-income groups (B=0.01, p=0.006). Conclusion: Perceived social support promotes adaptive maternal coping, but its benefits vary by socioeconomic context. Interventions should strengthen support networks and address structural barriers (e.g., time, transportation, childcare) in under-resourced families managing youth with T1D. Disclosure M. Hall: None. C. Davis: None. T. McCarty: None. S. Jaser: Speaker's Bureau; Ended; Sanofi. Funding National Institutes of Health (R01DK115545)