Sara L. Turner

Depressive symptoms, daily stress, and adherence in late adolescents with type 1 diabetes

OBJECTIVE To examine whether depressive symptoms are associated with greater perceived daily stress and moderate the link between stress severity and poorer daily adherence in late adolescents with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). METHOD 175 late adolescents with T1D completed measures of depressive symptoms and glycemic control during a baseline laboratory assessment. This assessment was followed by a 14-day daily diary during which adolescents rated the severity of general (GS) and diabetes-specific (DSS) stressful events, as well as adherence to their diabetes regimen. RESULTS Multilevel modeling revealed that adolescents with more depressive symptoms reported more severe daily stress and poorer daily adherence on average, and had poorer glycemic control. On days with more severe DSS, but not GS, adolescents reported poorer adherence. This association was moderated by an interaction between depressive symptoms and the mean level of DSS severity experienced across the 2-week diary. In adolescents with low levels of depressive symptoms, poorer adherence was reported on days with more severe DSS across all levels of mean DSS severity. In adolescents with average or high levels of depressive symptoms, poorer adherence was reported on days with more severe DSS only when mean DSS severity was average or high. CONCLUSIONS Depressive symptoms are associated with poorer daily adherence and greater stress severity, and interact with mean DSS severity to moderate the link between daily stress and adherence. The results point to the importance of depressive symptoms for understanding associations between stress and adherence during late adolescence.

Adolescent Disclosure to Parents and Daily Management of Type 1 Diabetes

Objective To examine how adolescents’ daily disclosure to parents about type 1 diabetes management may foster a process whereby parents gain knowledge and are viewed as helpful in ways that may aid diabetes management. Methods A total of 236 late adolescents (M age = 17.76) completed a 14-day diary where they reported daily disclosure to, and solicitation from, their parents, how knowledgeable and helpful parents were, and their self-regulation failures and adherence; blood glucose was gathered from meters. Results Multilevel models revealed that adolescent disclosure occurred in the context of greater parent solicitation and face-to-face contact and was positively associated with adolescents’ perceptions of parental knowledge and helpfulness. Disclosure to mothers (but not to fathers) was associated with better diabetes management (fewer self-regulation failures, better adherence). Conclusions Adolescent disclosure may be an important way that parents remain knowledgeable about diabetes management and provide assistance that serves to support diabetes management.

Variations in Daily Sleep Quality and Type 1 Diabetes Management in Late Adolescents

UNLABELLED OBJECTIVE : To determine how between- and within-person variability in perceived sleep quality were associated with adolescent diabetes management. METHODS A total of 236 older adolescents with type 1 diabetes reported daily for 2 weeks on sleep quality, self-regulatory failures, frequency of blood glucose (BG) checks, and BG values. Average, inconsistent, and daily deviations in sleep quality were examined.  RESULTS : Hierarchical linear models indicated that poorer average and worse daily perceived sleep quality (compared with ones average) was each associated with more self-regulatory failures. Sleep quality was not associated with frequency of BG checking. Poorer average sleep quality was related to greater risk of high BG. Furthermore, inconsistent and daily deviations in sleep quality interacted to predict higher BG, with more consistent sleepers benefitting more from a night of high-quality sleep.  CONCLUSIONS : Good, consistent sleep quality during late adolescence may benefit diabetes management by reducing self-regulatory failures and risk of high BG.

Academic achievement and metabolic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

ABSTRACT Management of type 1 diabetes in adolescence is a complex task requiring self-control within individual and interpersonal domains. This is similarly requisite for academic achievement. Grade point average (GPA) was examined as a barometer of diabetes management reflective of self-control in a challenging daily context. Adolescents with type 1 diabetes (n = 172) completed questionnaires on self-control, self-efficacy, parent/peer relationships, and adherence, while mothers reported GPA. Self-control, self-efficacy, and parent/peer relationships predicted GPA, adherence and HbA1c. GPA predicted HbA1c above and beyond adherence and self-control predictors. GPA may be a valuable indicator of individual and interpersonal self-control processes required for diabetes management.

Iowa Gambling Task Performance Prospectively Predicts Changes in Glycemic Control among Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVES Good glycemic control is an important goal of diabetes management. Late adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at risk for poor glycemic control as they move into young adulthood. For a subset of these patients, this dysregulation is extreme, placing them at risk for life-threatening health complications and permanent cognitive declines. The present study examined whether deficiency in emotional decision making (as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task; IGT) among teens with T1D may represent a neurocognitive risk factor for subsequent glycemic dysregulation. METHODS As part of a larger longitudinal study, a total of 241 high-school seniors (147 females, 94 males) diagnosed with T1D underwent baseline assessment that included the IGT. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), which reflects glycemic control over the course of the past 2 to 3 months, was also assessed at baseline. Of the 241,189 (127 females, 62 males, mean age=17.76, mean HbA1c=8.11) completed HbA1c measurement 1 year later. RESULTS Baseline IGT performance in the impaired range (per norms) was associated with greater dysregulation in glycemic control 1 year later, as evidenced by an average increase in HbA1c of 2%. Those with normal IGT scores (per norms) exhibited a more moderate increase in glycemic control, with an HbA1c increase of 0.7%. Several IGT scoring approaches were compared, showing that the total scores collapsed across all trials was most sensitive to change in glycemic control. CONCLUSIONS IGT assessment offers promise as a tool for identifying late adolescents at increased risk for glycemic dysregulation. (JINS, 2017, 23, 204-213).

Depressive symptoms and diabetes management from late adolescence to emerging adulthood.

Objective: To examine changes in depressive symptoms as well as between- and within-person associations between depressive symptoms and Type 1 diabetes (T1D) management across the transition from late adolescence to emerging adulthood. Method: Beginning in the senior year of high school, 197 late adolescents with T1D (Mage = 17.77) reported on their student status and living situation, and completed self-report measures of depressive symptoms and adherence to the diabetes regimen, annually at 3 time points. Glycemic control was gathered from hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) assay kits at the same time points. Results: Results of multilevel models demonstrated high depressive symptoms at baseline, with significant increases in depressive symptoms across time when participants were not living in their parental home, but no change when living with parents. Participants with higher mean levels of depressive symptoms relative to peers (between-person association) had poorer adherence and glycemic control (i.e., higher HbA1c) on average. Within-person fluctuations in depressive symptoms were significantly associated with adherence: greater increases in depressive symptoms (relative to adolescents’ own average) were associated with greater deteriorations in adherence. There was not a significant within-person effect of depressive symptoms on glycemic control. Conclusions: The transition from late adolescence to emerging adulthood is particularly challenging for those with T1D. The findings that individuals with greater depressive symptoms have poorer adherence and glycemic control relative to those with lower depressive symptoms, and that increases in depressive symptoms are associated with declines in adherence, highlight the importance of screening and monitoring depressive symptoms during this life transition.

Executive Function Predicting Longitudinal Change in Type 1 Diabetes Management During the Transition to Emerging Adulthood

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine 1) whether teens’ glycemic control and adherence to type 1 diabetes treatment regimen worsen during the transition from late adolescence to emerging adulthood, and 2) whether teens’ executive function (EF), as measured by performance and self-reported problems with EF, is predictive of these changes (after controlling for general intelligence). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS High school seniors with type 1 diabetes (N = 236; mean age 17.74 years) were assessed at three yearly time points. At baseline, during the senior year of high school, participants completed a self-report measure of problems with EF and performance-based measures of EF and general intelligence (IQ). Glycemic control was determined on the basis of results collected from HbA1c assay kits, and teens reported their adherence at all three time points. RESULTS HbA1c increased significantly across the three time points and adherence declined. EF performance was not associated with adherence or HbA1c at baseline, nor with changes in adherence over time. However, better EF performance predicted slower increases in HbA1c over time (i.e., slope) while controlling for IQ. Teens’ self-reported problems with EF were associated with worse glycemic control and poorer adherence at baseline (i.e., intercept), but they did not predict changes in either HbA1c or adherence over time (i.e., slope). CONCLUSIONS Abilities involved in performance on EF tests may be one resource for maintaining better glycemic control during the transition to emerging adulthood. Assessment of such EF abilities may allow for the identification of individuals who are most at risk for deterioration of glycemic control during this transition.