Diabetes type 1 in young adults: The relationship between psycho-social variables, glycemic control, depression and anxiety

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether psycho-social variables, for example social support and task- and emotion-oriented coping would predict psychological and physical well being among young adults with diabetes. Material and Methods: Participants were 56 individuals in their twenties suffering from type 1 diabetes. Response rate was 78%. The participants came from the whole of Iceland, 64.3% from the Greater Reykjavik area and 33.9% from rural areas. One participant did not indicate his place of residence. Self-assessment scales were used to assess depression, anxiety, task-, avoidance- and emotion-oriented coping, social support and problems relating to diabetes. Additional information was obtained from patients' records concerning the results of blood glucose measurements (HbA1c). Results: Good social support was related to less anxiety and depression and to less self-reported problems related to having diabetes. Emotion-oriented coping was related to not feeling well and task- oriented coping to feeling better. No relationship was found between psychosocial variables and blood glucose measurements and a limited relationship between self-reported problems related to having diabetes and these measurements, Conclusions: Social support and coping are strongly related to measurements of depression, anxiety and problems related to having diabetes in the present age group. The results indicate that it is very important to teach and strengthen usage, as possible, of task-oriented coping instead of emotion-oriented coping. The results also indicate that social support is highly important for young adults with diabetes type 1. It is clear that friends and family have to be more involved in the treatment and also more educated about the disease and the importance of giving the right kind of support.