2251-PUB: Assessment of Fear of Hypoglycemia in a Large, Clinical Sample of Fathers of Children with Type 1 Diabetes

The Hypoglycemia Fear Survey-Parent (HFS-P) is the most commonly used questionnaire to assess parental worries and behaviors about low blood glucoses occurring in their children with T1D. The purpose of this study was to provide descriptive statistics on the HFS-P’s three subscales using a large clinical sample of fathers, data that are notably absent from the extant literature. As part of their child’s routine T1D clinic visits, 302 fathers completed the HFS-P, which comprises three subscales: Maintaining High Blood Glucose (BG), Worry/Helplessness About Low BG, and Worry About Negative Social Consequences. Higher scores indicate greater fear/worry about hypoglycemia. Child demographic and medical variables were extracted from medical records. Child characteristics were: 43% female; mean age = 15.1±3.3 yrs (range 10-22); mean A1C = 8.7±1.9%. Fathers’ were more likely to engage in maintaining high BG behaviors with younger children (r=-0.17, p