Religious/spiritual coping, symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety in caregivers of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Background It was verified the level of religiosity and spirituality, and symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety of caregivers of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, and its interference in glycaemic control. Methods Socio-economic and demographic data were collected from caregivers of 59 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and obtained dosages of fasting glucose (FG); postprandial glycaemia (PPG); fructosamine (FRUTO); and HbA1c, as well as the glycaemic variability—∆HbA1c. Levels of religiosity were obtained by the DUREL scale; the use of religious/spiritual coping was verified by the SRCOPE-Brief scale. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were analysed by the DASS-21 scale. The correlations between the variables were analysed by the Pearson coefficient, with significance at 5% level. Results Inverse correlations were observed between caregivers’ schooling with PPG (r = −0.30; P = 0.002) and FRUTO (r = −0.34; P = 0.008) and between family income and FRUTO (r = −0.37; P = 0.004). Direct, moderate correlations were observed between negative religious/spiritual coping (NSRCOPE) with symptoms of depression (r = 0.588; P < 0.0001), stress (r = 0.500; P < 0.0001), and anxiety (r = 0.551; P < 0.0001). Conclusion The direct association between NSRCOPE with symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety was the highlighted item in the present study emphasizing the need for greater attention to the emotional health of informal caregivers of children and adolescents with DM1. It is necessary to reflect on the religious/spiritual support especially for the main caregiver of children and adolescents with DM1.