Adolescents with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes: Psychological flexibility is associated with the glycemic control, quality of life and depressive symptoms

Brief acceptance and commitment therapy for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Introduction

Children and adolescents with diabetes face challenges that can significantly impact their quality of life. Investigating psychological interventions for stress management can equip them with the skills needed to cope with type 1 diabetes. This study investigated the impact of a brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention on stress management, diabetes acceptance, psychological flexibility, and patient-doctor relationships among this population.

Methods

A total of 55 children, and adolescents from Romania participated in a four-session ACT intervention for type 1 diabetes. The evaluation instruments used were the Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C), Acceptance and Action Diabetes Questionnaire (AADQ), Children's Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (CPFQ), and Patient-Doctor Relationship Questionnaire (PDRQ-9).

Results

The participants (mean age = 14.14, SD = 2.26; 67% girls) reported lower stress levels, increased acceptance of diabetes, and greater psychological flexibility after the intervention. Additionally, the patient-doctor relationship was enhanced, potentially improving patient adherence to treatment. Positive qualitative feedback mirrored previous ACT research in the paediatric population, highlighting the beneficial role of experiential activities and metaphors when working with this target group.

Discussion

This study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of ACT in enhancing healthy coping strategies among children and adolescents with chronic illnesses.

"I'm Staring at the Screen All the Time": Technology Use and Mindfulness in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic, complex medical condition associated with higher rates of anxiety in adolescents. Higher rates of anxiety are associated with poorer glycemic control. Although technological advancements have been made to improve self-management of glycemia, few technological interventions aim to mitigate anxiety symptoms. Adolescents frequently use technology every day for school and socialization in addition to management of glycemia. Technology has not yet been leveraged to provide evidence-based interventions, such as mindfulness, for anxiety symptoms and other psychosocial comorbidity in adolescents with T1D. We aimed to examine technology preferences in adolescents with type 1 diabetes, their experiences with mindfulness practices, and their perceived acceptability of a mobile health application delivering mindfulness training. Twenty participants aged 14 to 17 years old with T1D participated in this qualitative descriptive study. Interview transcripts were organized using the ATLAS.ti software version 8 and coded using an in vivo approach and thematic analysis. Descriptive statistics regarding participant demographics and hemoglobin A1c levels were analyzed using SAS statistical software version 9.2. Findings supported heavy technology use, limited experience with mindfulness, and positive receptivity regarding an app that delivered a mindfulness training program specifically for adolescents with T1D. Thus, a mobile health application may be a feasible and acceptable way to deliver an evidence-based psychosocial intervention to this vulnerable population.

Managing the unmanageable through interdependence in adolescents living with type 1 diabetes and their parents: A constructivist grounded theory

BACKGROUND

Management of T1D is complex and requires continuous care and monitoring that place many demands on adolescents with T1D and their parents. The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of interdependence with T1D management with adolescents and their parents.

METHODS

Using a constructivist grounded theory methodology, 32 open-ended interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed from 11 adolescents aged 10-18 years with T1D and eight parents.

FINDINGS

The data were coded using three coding phases: initial, focused, and theroetical and this process continued until theroetical saturation was reached. The substantive theory that emerged from the data describing parents' and adolescents' main concern of Maintaining Optimal Glycemic Control was Managing the Unmanageable through Interdependence. Four related subprocesses were found: Completing T1D Tasks, Attaining Support, Balancing Independence, and Reconciling Reality. These subprocesses occurred within the context of the ever-changing, Nature of the Illness.

DISCUSSION

There is a dynamic relationship associated with interdependence between adolescents with T1D and their parents that varied situationally and by age. Participants also indicated interdependence occurs or they would like it to occur, with others beyond themselves and the health-care team to others willing to be involved.

APPLICATION TO PRACTICE

Interdependence is a dynamic process and requires ongoing evaluation by health-care professionals of its function in the daily management of T1D by parents and adolescents. Additional research into of the roles of health professionals and others in promoting interdependence is needed.

Mindfulness in adolescents and young adults with diabetes: An integrative review

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Type 1 diabetes (T1D), type 2 diabetes, and prediabetes are increasing in incidence. Adolescents and young adults with diabetes experience psychosocial comorbidities at an increased incidence. As such, exploring interventions that can improve psychosocial and glycemic outcomes are needed. The purpose of this integrative review is to examine and synthesize the literature on mindfulness in adolescents and young adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.

METHODS

Four databases were searched during May 2021. Included studies were published between 2000 and 2021, evaluated adolescents and young adults, diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. Studies were excluded if they were not in English; not original research; evaluated complementary/alternative therapies as a group. To assess for risk of bias, the National Institutes of Health quality assessment tools and the Cochrane Collaboration's tool were utilized. Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) method for conducting an integrative review was utilized to synthesize results.

RESULTS

We identified 137 articles in our initial search and 74 articles remained after removing for duplicates. Ten articles were included in the review, with 5 including adolescents and young adults with T1D and 5 including adolescents and young adults with prediabetes. No studies evaluated mindfulness in adolescents and young adults with type 2 diabetes.

CONCLUSION

Mindfulness is an acceptable intervention in adolescents and young adults with T1D and prediabetes, resulting in positive psychosocial and glycemic outcomes. There were issues with feasibility of the intervention and mobile health technology delivery methods should be evaluated.

Influence of Parental Psychological Flexibility on Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Coping Style

Background: Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy hinders the establishment of immune barrier in children. Psychological flexibility may be a key contributing factor to pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and self-efficacy and coping style play an important role in the relationship, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on parents from June 2021 to July 2021. A total of 382 parents were recruited for an online-investigation. Serial mediation models were used to examine whether self-efficacy and coping style mediated in the psychological flexibility-pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy linkage.

Result: Psychological flexibility was negatively related to pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (r = −0.198, P < 0.001). Coping styles rather than self-efficacy played a mediating role independently (95% CI: −0.263 to −0.058). Serial mediation analyses indicated that self-efficacy and coping style co-play a serial mediating role in the association of psychological flexibility and pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (95% CI: −0.037 to −0.001).

Conclusion: The present study showed that high psychological flexibility, high self-efficacy, and positive coping style were conducive to the lower pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.