A psychological support program for individuals with Type 1 diabetes

• Published in: Acta diabetologica Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 209 - 216
• Main Authors: Forlani, Gabriele, Nuccitelli, Chiara, Caselli, Chiara, Moscatiello, Simona, Mazzotti, Arianna, Centis, Elena, Marchesini, Giulio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Milan Springer Milan 01.04.2013; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Affect; Anxiety; Anxiety - therapy; Depression - therapy; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - psychology; Female; Humans; Insulin - therapeutic use; Internal Medicine; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Metabolic Diseases; Middle Aged; Original Article; Psychology; Quality of Life; Self-Help Groups; Social support; Surveys and Questionnaires; Depression; Locus of control; Anxiety; Well-being; Type 1 diabetes; Quality of life
• ISSN: 0940-5429; 1432-5233
• DOI: 10.1007/s00592-011-0269-x

We aimed to test the effects of a psychological support program on the psychological distress, mood, and quality of life of well-educated individuals with type 1 diabetes. A newly developed support program was offered to 60 patients with type 1 diabetes on intensive insulin treatment, previously enrolled in group-care educational programs. Thirty-three subjects participated (experimental group, in groups of 8–12 subjects); 22, who postponed their entry, were used as controls. The program consisted of 7 weekly work sessions of 2 hours chaired by a psychologist and covered aspects of daily living with diabetes using role-playing, metaplan, and problem solving. At baseline and approximately 6 months later, all participants completed a battery of questionnaires, and the differences between the experimental and the control group were analyzed by repeated-measurements ANOVA. In response to the psychological support program, subjects in the experimental group reduced their depressive mood (Beck Depression Inventory and depression scales of the Psychological Well-Being Index) and anxiety (Self-rating Anxiety Scale), improved disease-specific quality of life (Symptom and Well-Being scales of the Well-Being Enquiry for Diabetes), increased their internal and decreased their external locus of control. These changes were accompanied by a 0.3% decrease in glycosylated hemoglobin, whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group (ANOVA, P  = 0.032). These results underline the importance of psychological aspects in individuals with type 1 diabetes; treating the psychological aspects related to the disease may be as important as medical control in order to improve living with diabetes.