This presentation will summarize recent findings from the literature on psychological issues related to diagnosis, the seeking of psychological support, and threats to male identity posed by treatment options that can interfere with potency and continence. Qualitative studies, for example, point to a number of reasons why men may be diagnosed late, including a reluctance to appear weak (by reporting symptoms); embarrassment, guardedness and denial about vulnerability related to their bodies; powerlessness within the medical system, and the fear of a diagnosis that goes to the deepest core of masculinity, the prostate. A recent literature review highlighted clinically meaningful take-home messages, including the fact that men tend to either retreat inward following the diagnosis of cancer, keeping their feelings and worries to themselves, or rely heavily on a partner for emotional support. Studies contained in the review demonstrate that both men and women benefit equally from psychosocial support. When asked, men say that they want information rather than emotional support from psychosocial oncology teams; yet in online forums, men's supportive exchanges are clearly emotional, couched in dark humor and unifying battlefield terminology. The fact that men enthusiastically participate in emotional support offered at a distance (often anonymously) raises interesting questions about future directions for cancer support, which will be addressed. Also of significance is mens' highly consistent reliance on partners for support during cancer treatment, a finding that points to the possible unmet needs of men who are not in secure relationships during the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Although the psychosocial impact of cancer treatment varies across cancer patients, many experience some psychological distress following diagnosis. In addition to the emotional experience, men with prostate cancer often face myriad physical complications including impotence, urinary and bowel incontinence, and sleep disturbance affecting quality of life. The time immediately following treatment can be a critical period marked by increased feelings of fear, uncertainty, and loss of control. Such emotional responses may be experienced as inconsistent with psychological attributes often associated with traditional gender role norms, such as strength, independence, and emotional inexpressiveness. Evidence of the negative impact of suppressing emotions, and positive impact of expressing and processing emotions on psychological distress, physical health, and overall adjustment to cancer is growing. Drawing upon examples from the author's past and current research with men with prostate cancer, the relationship of gender-related influences on emotional approach coping efforts will be discussed within a stress and coping framework. Emotional approach coping (EAC) refers to strategies that involve acknowledging, understanding, and expressing emotions, and has been found to be associated with decreased distress and better adjustment in breast cancer patients, though little work has examined EAC in men with prostate cancer. Observations in healthy populations suggest that EAC varies by gender and has been linked to both better and poorer adjustment in men. Prior research in men with cancer found that gender role norms shape EAC processes, and that the interpersonal environment and age may be important contextual variables characterizing its utility in men with cancer. Current research examining the impact of masculine cancer threat, gender-linked personality factors, and gender role norms on health-related quality of life following treatment for prostate cancer will be highlighted. Management of type 1 diabetes (T1D) requires constant, daily attention to blood glucose levels, insulin administration, food intake, and physical activity in order to maintain near normal metabolic control. Caring for a child or adolescent with T1D can be demanding and research suggests that parents of children with diabetes are at greater risk for symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. The dynamic relationship between parent emotional functioning and daily diabetes responsibilities and care is not yet well understood and parent well-being may significantly influence critical child health behaviors and outcomes. This symposium provides a cohesive picture of the behavioral impact of parent emotional functioning on child health care in T1D. The symposium chair will highlight developmental differences and key risk and protective factors associated with parent well-being in a chronic illness population. Ongoing promising interventions, including interventions focusing on parenting strategies and support, parent-child communication, and internet-based support, will be discussed. The bidirectional impact of diabetes care and parent depression, anxiety, and wellbeing is a rich area for discussion and can inform future research.