Diabetes distress: A practical guide for health professionals supporting adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes

Diabetes distress: A practical guide for health professionals supporting adults with type 1 or type 2 diabete

Psychological Distress Among Parents of Children With Chronic Health Conditions and Its Association With Unmet Supportive Care Needs and Children’s Quality of Life

Abstract Objective To assess parent psychological distress in families of children with common chronic health conditions (CHC) and to explore relationships between parent psychological distress, unmet supportive care needs and children’s quality of life (QoL). Method Cross-sectional study involving parents of children diagnosed with a common CHC between 0 and 12 years of age and who had received treatment within the last 5 years. Eligible parents completed an online survey, that included the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) assessing distress in parents and a 34-item assessment of unmet supportive care needs across 6 domains. Parents completed ratings of their child’s current functioning (QoL) using the 23-item PedsQL. Multivariable regression models examined the relative association between unmet needs, children’s QoL and parents’ depression, anxiety, and stress. Results The sample consisted of 194 parents of children with congenital heart disease (n=97; 50%), diabetes (n=50; 26%), cancer (n=39; 20%), and asthma (n=8; 4%). A significant proportion of parents had moderate–severe symptoms of depression (26%), anxiety (38%), and stress (40%). Of the PedsQL scales, the poorest outcomes were found for emotional and school functioning. Multivariable analyses showed that both higher unmet needs and poorer child emotional functioning were associated with parent depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Conclusion Evidence linking parent distress symptoms to higher unmet needs and poorer child emotional functioning suggests these factors may be targets for interventions to alleviate parent distress. Longitudinal research using larger samples is required to replicate findings, and clarify the magnitude and direction of associations

Unmet supportive care needs of families of children with chronic illness: A systematic review

Unmet supportive care needs of families of children with chronic illness: A systematic revie

Diabetes Distress During COVID-19: Three Brief ‘Snapshot’ Surveys of Adults With Diabetes Calling the Australian National Diabetes Services Scheme Helpline

The aim of this study was to take ‘snapshots’ of how people with diabetes are feeling emotionally during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Three ‘snapshot’ surveys were conducted during May 2020, August 2020 and April 2021, each over a two-week period. Adults (≥18 years) with diabetes calling the Australian Government’s National Diabetes Services Scheme Helpline (NDSS) were invited to participate. Those who accepted were asked three questions sourced/adapted from the Problem Areas in Diabetes scale. Responses were recorded on a 5-point scale (0=’not a problem’, 4=’serious problem’). Of interest were scores ≥2, indicating this was at least a ‘moderate problem’. The survey was administered by NDSS Helpline staff via telephone. Basic demographic and clinical data were collected. In total, 1,278 surveys were completed over the three ‘snapshots’ (1st N=449; 2nd N=414; 3rd N=415). Participants were aged (median[IQR]) 62[47,72] years, 56% were women, and 57% had type 2 diabetes. At the 3rd ‘snapshot’, 21% had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Our findings show that feeling at least moderately ‘burned out’ by the constant effort needed to manage diabetes is salient, and consistently experienced by adults with diabetes calling the NDSS Helpline at three timepoints during the coronavirus pandemic. Those who participated in the 3rd ‘snapshot’ survey were less likely to report that feeling ‘alone with their diabetes’ or ‘worrying about their diabetes because of the COVID-19 pandemic’ were moderate or serious problems for them. Except for younger adults, findings indicate that the easing of restrictions may mitigate some of the effects of the pandemic on diabetes-specific emotional problems, including feeling ‘burned out’, ‘alone’ with diabetes, and/or worried about diabetes due to COVID-19. Prospective data are needed to improve our understanding of the emotional impact of COVID-19 on people with diabetes and to inform when and how to target support for those who need it most

Unmet supportive care needs in families of children with chronic health conditions: an Australian cross-sectional study

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to identify similarities and differences in the unmet supportive care needs (USCN) of families of children with major chronic health conditions (CHCs) using a universal need assessment tool. Methods A cross-sectional online survey involving parents of children with congenital heart disease (CHD), type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), cancer, and asthma diagnosed within the last 5 years recruited via social media and support organizations. Thirty-four items assessing the USCN across six domains (care needs, physical and social needs, informational needs, support needs, financial needs, child-related emotional needs) were responded to on a 4-point Likert scale [no need (1) to high need (4)]. Descriptive statistics identified the level of need, and linear regressions identified factors associated with higher need domain scores. Due to small numbers, the asthma group was excluded from comparisons across CHCs. Results One hundred and ninety-four parents completed the survey (CHD: n = 97, T1D: n = 50, cancer: n = 39, and asthma: n = 8). Parents of children with cancer were most likely to report at least one USCN (92%), followed by parents of children with T1D (62%). The five most commonly reported USCN across CHCs were drawn from four domains: child-related emotional, support, care, and financial. Three need items were included in the top five needs for all conditions. A higher USCN was associated with a greater frequency of hospital visits and the absence of parental support. Conclusions Using a universal need assessment tool, this is one of the first studies to characterize USCN in families of children diagnosed with common CHCs. While proportions endorsing different needs varied across conditions, the most endorsed needs were similar across the illness groups. This suggests that support programs or services could be shared across different CHCs

Diabetes distress assessment and management during type 2 diabetes care in Australian general practice: an online survey of Australian general practitioners

Diabetes distress assessment and management during type 2 diabetes care in Australian general practice: an online survey of Australian general practitioner

Diabetes Mellitus: A Biopsychosocial Perspective

Diabetes Mellitus: A Biopsychosocial Perspectiv

Development and Feasibility of mHAT: A Smartphone App to Improve Awareness of Hypoglycemia

Development and Feasibility of mHAT: A Smartphone App to Improve Awareness of Hypoglycemi

Additional file 2 of Feasibility and acceptability of e-learning to upskill diabetes educators in supporting people experiencing diabetes distress: a pilot randomised controlled trial

Additional file 2: Supplement 2. Reliability analysis: importance and confidence to provide support for diabetes distress

Additional file 1: of Diabetes MILES Youth–Australia: methods and sample characteristics of a national survey of the psychological aspects of living with type 1 diabetes in Australian youth and their parents

Description of scales used in the Diabetes MILES Youth Study. (PDF 201 kb