School-aged children with type 1 diabetes benefit more from a coping skills training program than adolescents in China: 12-month outcomes of a randomized clinical trial.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Managing type 1 diabetes can be challenging, especially for youth, so there is a need for effective interventions to help youth live with diabetes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of a coping skills training (CST) program for Chinese youth with type 1 diabetes and to explore whether the efficacy of the program was different for school-aged children than for adolescents with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: A total of 100 youth with type 1 diabetes aged 8 to 20 years were randomly placed in either an intervention group (CST + standard care [SC]) or a control group (SC). Data were collected at baseline, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups on primary outcomes of perceived stress, coping, and self-efficacy and secondary outcomes of diabetes self-management, quality of life, and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). A generalized estimating equation analysis for repeated measures was used to determine the program effects and differential effects by age group. RESULTS: The CST program had no significant effect on primary or secondary outcomes over 12 months. However, there was a significant increase in positive coping (P < .001), self-efficacy (P = .017), diabetes problem-solving and goals of diabetes self-management (P = .007, P = .001), and quality of life (P = .016) of school-aged children in the intervention group compared with the control group. There were no significant differences in primary or secondary outcomes between the intervention group and the control group (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The CST program was effective for school-aged children, improving psychosocial and diabetes self-management outcomes. Further research is needed to develop programs that improve outcomes in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.