Sharp decline seen in work-related income, with relative decrease of 6.6 and 1.6 percent for mothers and fathers, respectively, in year after diagnosis<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Work-related income decreases sharply for mothers and fathers of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, with similar effects across sociodemographic groups, according to a study published online Aug. 8 in Diabetologia<\/em>.<\/p>\n Beatrice Kennedy, M.D., Ph.D., from Uppsala University in Sweden, and colleagues quantified the impact of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes on parental incomes in a register-based quasi-experimental study. Parents of 13,358 children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in Sweden from 1993 to 2014 and 506,516 population-based matched control parents were included in the study. Income trajectories were compared between exposed and control parents using a difference-in-differences approach.<\/p>\n The researchers found that in both mothers and fathers of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, there was a sharp decline in work-related income. The mean yearly income difference was \u221215.4 and \u22126.0 (expressed in \u20ac100) for mothers and fathers in the year after diagnosis, representing a relative decrease of 6.6 and 1.6 percent, respectively. Across sociodemographic groups and calendar periods, the effects on income were similar. For mothers, the pension-qualifying income increased by 28.7 in the first year after diagnosis due to parental care allowance, then decreased during long-term follow-up (\u221210.9 after 17 years).<\/p>\n “Our findings indicate that there is room for improvement in the societal targeted support to mothers of children with chronic conditions, to ensure that the financial impact of caring for a child with health concerns is alleviated,” coauthor Tove Fall, Ph.D., also from Uppsala University, said in a statement.<\/p>\n