Diabetes distress in urban Black youth with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers: associations with glycemic control, depression, and health behaviors.

OBJECTIVES: Adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their caregivers endorse high diabetes distress (DD). Limited studies have documented the impact of DD on Black youth. The aims of the present study were to (1) describe DD among a sample of Black adolescents with T1D and their caregivers, (2) compare their DD levels with published normative samples, and (3) determine how DD relates to glycemic outcomes, diabetes self-management, parental monitoring of diabetes, and youth depressive symptoms. METHODS: Baseline data from a multicenter clinical trial were used. Participants (N = 155) were recruited from 7 Midwestern pediatric diabetes clinics. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and measures of DD, parental monitoring of diabetes care, youth depression and diabetes management behaviors were obtained. The sample was split into (1) adolescents (ages 13-14; N = 95) and (2) preadolescents (ages 10-12; N = 60). Analyses utilized Cohen's d effect sizes, Pearson correlations, t-tests, and multiple regression. RESULTS: DD levels in youth and caregivers were high, with 45%-58% exceeding either clinical cutoff scores or validation study sample means. Higher DD in youth and caregivers was associated with higher HbA1c, lower diabetes self-management, and elevated depressive symptoms, but not with parental monitoring of diabetes management. CONCLUSIONS: Screening for DD in Black youth with T1D and caregivers is recommended, as are culturally informed interventions that can reduce distress levels and lead to improved health outcomes. More research is needed on how systemic inequities contribute to higher DD in Black youth and the strategies/policy changes needed to reduce these inequities.

Do baseline resilience profiles moderate the effects of a resilience-enhancing intervention for adolescents with type I diabetes?

OBJECTIVE: Resilience processes include modifiable individual and family-based skills and behaviors and are associated with better health and emotional outcomes for youth with Type I diabetes (T1D). There is likely heterogeneity among adolescents with T1D based on differing profiles of resilience processes. At-risk adolescents with lower levels of modifiable skills and assets may benefit more from psychosocial skill-building interventions, compared to adolescents who already have strong resilience processes. This article identified whether there are subgroups of adolescents with T1D based on resilience process profiles and assessed differences in glycemic control, diabetes management behaviors, and distress at baseline. It also evaluated subgroups as moderators of the efficacy of a psychosocial skill-building program. METHOD: Two hundred sixty-four adolescents with T1D (14 to 18 years) were randomly assigned to a resilience-promoting program (N = 133) or diabetes education control (N = 131). Data were collected at seven time points over 3 years and analyzed with latent profile analysis and latent growth curve modeling. RESULTS: There were two subgroups with high- versus low-resilience processes. The low-resilience subgroup exhibited more distress, higher HbA1c, less glucose monitoring, and fewer diabetes management behaviors at baseline. Differences persisted over 3 years. Subgroup membership did not moderate the efficacy of a resilience-promoting program compared to control. The resilience program resulted in lower distress regardless of subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: There is heterogeneity in resilience process profiles, which are associated with clinically meaningful differences in distress, diabetes management, and glycemic control. Findings can be used to identify at-risk teenagers and inform a targeted approach to care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Cost considerations for adoption of diabetes technology are pervasive: A qualitative study of persons living with type 1 diabetes and their families.

BACKGROUND: Cost is a major consideration in the uptake and continued use of diabetes technology. With increasing use of automated insulin delivery systems, it is important to understand the specific cost-related barriers to technology adoption. In this qualitative analysis, we were interested in understanding and examining the decision-making process around cost and diabetes technology use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four raters coded transcripts of four stakeholder groups using inductive coding for each stakeholder group to establish relevant themes/nodes. We applied the Social Ecological Model in the interpretation of five thematic levels of cost. RESULTS: We identified five thematic levels of cost: policy, organizational, insurance, interpersonal and individual. Equitable diabetes technology access was an important policy-level theme. The insurance-level theme had multiple subthemes which predominantly carried a negative valence. Participants also emphasized the psychosocial burden of cost specifically identifying diabetes costs to their families, the guilt of diabetes related costs, and frustration in the time and involvement required to ensure insurance coverage. CONCLUSION: We found broad consensus in how cost is experienced by stakeholder groups. Cost considerations for diabetes technology uptake extended beyond finances to include time, cost to society, morality and interpersonal relationships. Cost also reflected an important moral principle tied to the shared desire for equitable access to diabetes technology. Knowledge of these considerations can help clinicians and researchers promote equitable device uptake while anticipating barriers for all persons living with type 1 diabetes and their families.

Diabetes distress and HbA1c in racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse youth with type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes distress, the emotional burden of caring for the chronic demands of diabetes, has not been well described in children and preadolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). This gap is particularly evident among youth of lower socioeconomic status (SES) and/or racial/ethnic minorities. Since these groups are more likely to have disparities in health outcomes and healthcare related to their diabetes, factors that could potentially improve glycemic and other diabetes-related outcomes should be studied closely. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that (a) diabetes distress levels would be elevated in children with markers of lower SES and those of racial/ethnic minorities, and (b) higher HbA1c would be predicted by higher diabetes distress levels, when controlling for race/ethnicity, SES, and clinical covariates. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-seven youth age 9 to 13 with T1D completed age-appropriate Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) questionnaires using a web-based portal during routine diabetes care visits. RESULTS: PAID scores were significantly elevated in youth who had surrogate markers of lower SES and who were from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. In multivariate models including race/ethnicity or the SES variables and controlling for clinical covariates, the factor most predictive of higher HbA1c was elevated PAID score. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes distress is elevated in a younger population of children with T1D who are from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds or have markers of lower SES. Interventions that target distress and/or expand the safety net in these populations could potentially improve glycemic outcomes.

Psychosocial assessment of artificial pancreas (AP): commentary and review of existing measures and their applicability in AP research.

AIM: This study aimed to systematically review the evidence base for the use of existing psychological and psychosocial measures suitable for use in artificial pancreas (AP) research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This systematic review of published literature, gray literature, previous systematic reviews, and qualitative and economic studies was conducted using terms and abbreviations synonymous with diabetes, AP, and quality of life (QoL). RESULTS: Two hundred ninety-two abstracts were identified that reported psychosocial assessment of diabetes-related technologies. Of these, nine met the inclusion criteria and were included. Only four of 103 ongoing trials evaluated psychosocial aspects as an outcome in the trial. Of these, treatment satisfaction, acceptance and use intention of AP, fear of hypoglycemia episodes, satisfaction with AP, and an unspecified QoL measure were used. CONCLUSIONS: A better understanding of the psychosocial side of AP systems and the extent to which human factors play a role in the uptake and efficient use of these systems will ultimately lead to the most benefit for people with diabetes.