Associations of diabetes self-management characteristics, HbA1c, and psychosocial outcomes with depressive symptoms in a contemporary sample of adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Aims: We sought to examine the associations between diabetes self-management, HbA1c, and psychosocial outcomes with the frequency of depressive symptoms.

Methods: We surveyed 301 teens (50% male, 22% non-white), mean age of 15.0±1.3 years, diabetes duration of 6.5±3.7 years. Biomedical variables: daily frequency of blood glucose monitoring of 4.5±1.9, 63% insulin pump use, mean HbA1c 8.5±1.1% (69±12 mmol/mol); 15% of the sample achieved the target HbA1c of <7.5% (<58 mmol/mol).

Results: Nearly 1 in 5 (18%, n=54) adolescents reported significant depressive symptoms and, of those participants, slightly under half reported moderate/severe depressive symptoms. Teens with moderate/severe depressive symptoms (CES-D scores ≥24) were more likely to be female, have parents without a college education, and not utilize insulin pumps. Teens with more depressive symptoms reported higher diabetes family conflict, higher diabetes burden, and lower quality of life. In the group reporting no depressive symptoms (10%), scores on psychosocial variables and diabetes treatment variables were the most favorable.

Conclusion: In our sample, the presence of depressive symptoms appears to relate to both diabetes treatment and quality of life. In addition, studying teens without depressive symptoms can help us learn more about protective factors that potentially buffer against depressive symptoms and that are associated with better outcomes.

Keywords: Adolescence; Depressive symptoms; Type 1 diabetes.

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Figures

Figure 1.

Frequency of depressive symptoms by sex