Fear of hypoglycemia, anxiety, and subjective well-being in parents of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Abstract

This study explored the association between parental fear of hypoglycemia, anxiety, and subjective well-being in parents of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. A total of 120 mothers and 79 fathers participated. Mothers' and fathers' fear of hypoglycemia was significantly associated with anxiety and negative affect as well as with worse glycemic control in child. Paired-samples t-test showed that mothers were more involved in diabetes management and reported more fear and anxiety compared to fathers, but they did not differ in worries about hypoglycemia. The findings suggest screening for fear of hypoglycemia and subjective well-being in all parents regardless of whether their child experienced severe hypoglycemia.

Psychosocial benefits of insulin pump therapy in children with diabetes type 1 and their families: The pumpkin multicenter randomized controlled trial

“…3,5 To understand the true impact of a treatment regimen, researchers should look beyond metabolic efficacy and examine the families' experiences of their day-to-day living with diabetes. 6 As these are inherently subjective, they should be reported by the young patients or caregivers themselves. Patient-reported outcomes (PRO), specifically HRQOL, are increasingly incorporated in clinical diabetes research.…”

Use of remote monitoring with continuous glucose monitoring in young children with Type 1 diabetes: the parents’ perspective

“…ª 2019 Diabetes UK The association between parental fear of hypoglycaemia, anxiety and subjective well-being in parents of children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes has been well documented [22]. The use of remote monitoring and CGM helped parents to feel less anxious and more confident, as noted in previous qualitative studies underlining these findings [7,8,13,23].…”

ISPAD Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines 2018: Management and support of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in school

“…Hypoglycemia is the most common acute complication of T1D . Fear of severe hypoglycemia can be a burden for the child and their caregivers and is commonly a limiting factor for quality of life or for achieving optimal BG control . Severe hypoglycemia can have negative psychosocial consequences and can induce adverse compensatory behaviors .…”

“…49 Fear of severe hypoglycemia can be a burden for the child and their caregivers and is commonly a limiting factor for quality of life or for achieving optimal BG control. 50,51 Severe hypoglycemia can have negative psychosocial consequences and can induce adverse compensatory behaviors. 52 Fear of hypoglycemia, including nocturnal hypoglycemia, is therefore a significant cause of stress and anxiety which can prevent the young person with T1D performing some regular or routine daily activities.…”