Study on Psychosocial Stress in Type 1 Diabetes

Time With Diabetes Distress and Glycemia-Specific Distress: New Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for the Psychosocial Burden of Diabetes Using Ecological Momentary Assessment in an Observational Study. Diabetes Care 2022

© Ehrmann, Dominic; Schmitt, Andreas et al., Diabetes Care

Many people with diabetes also suffer psychologically from their chronic illness. “Diabetes distress” includes an increased burden of diabetes and depression. In an observational study, DZD researchers have recorded the psychosocial burden of diabetes. The results have appeared in Diabetes Care.

To estimate time with diabetes distress the researcher used ecological momentary assessment (EMA)* in people with type 1 diabetes and analyze its associations with glycemic management based on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

The researcher used EMA to assess diabetes distress in a sample of recently hospitalized adults with type 1 diabetes once a day for 17 consecutive days in an ambulatory setting. Additionally, participants were asked daily about hypoglycemia distress (<70 mg/dL [3.9 mmol/L]), hyperglycemia distress (>180 mg/dL [10 mmol/L]), and variability distress (glucose fluctuations). Per person, the percentage of days with elevated distress was calculated (time with distress).

Participants spent a mean (SD) of days in a state of diabetes distress, 54.6 ± 26.0% in hyperglycemia distress, 45.2 ± 27.5% in variability distress, and 23.0 ± 19.3% in hypoglycemia distress.

Time with distress as assessed with EMA showed a comparative advantage over distress as determined by questionnaire-based assessment of diabetes distress regarding associations with glycemic management.

 

*Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) involves repeated sampling of subjects' current behaviors and experiences in real time, in subjects' natural environments.

Orginal publication:
Ehrmann, D., Schmitt, A. …. Kulzer, B. Hermanns, N. : Time With Diabetes Distress and Glycemia-Specific Distress: New Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for the Psychosocial Burden of Diabetes Using Ecological Momentary Assessment in an Observational Study. Diabetes Care 2022; dc212339. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2337/dc21-2339