Depression and anxiety in adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their parents.

BACKGROUND

Longitudinal studies including parental distress when examining adverse health outcomes in adolescents with type 1 diabetes are lacking. This study examined whether parental depression and anxiety predict adolescent emotional distress and glycated hemoglobin A (HbA) 1 year later and whether a relation between parental distress and HbA is mediated by the level of parental involvement in diabetes care and by treatment behaviors.

METHODS

Longitudinal path modeling was applied to data from 154 adolescents and parents from diabetes centers participating in the Longitudinal study of Emotional problems in Adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their Parents/caregivers (Diabetes LEAP). At baseline and 1-year follow-up, participants completed measures of depression and anxiety. HbA was extracted from medical charts. Responsibility and treatment behavior questionnaires were completed by adolescents at baseline.

RESULTS

Baseline parental depressive and anxiety symptoms were not associated with 1-year adolescent depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and HbA. Responsibility division and treatment behaviors did not mediate associations between parental emotional distress and 1-year HbA.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental depressive and anxiety symptoms did not predict adolescent health outcomes 1 year later. Future studies may determine whether the link is present in case of mood/anxiety disorders or severe diabetes-specific distress, or whether adolescents are resilient in the face of parental distress.

IMPACT

Adolescents with T1D are a vulnerable group in terms of psychological and health outcomes. Whether parental emotional distress (i.e., depressive and anxiety symptoms) is prospectively associated with adolescent emotional distress and/or HbA has been understudied. Our results show that parental distress was not related to adolescent distress or HbA 1 year later. Responsibility division and treatment behaviors did not mediate associations between parental emotional distress and 1-year HbA. Future studies could determine whether these links are present in case of mood/anxiety disorders or severe diabetes-specific distress, or whether adolescents are resilient in the face of parental distress.