General Life and Diabetes-Related Stressors in Early Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

• We examined general and diabetes-related stressors in teens with type 1 diabetes.
• Top reported stressors were school (82%), social (49%), and diabetes (48%).
• General life stressor themes were fitting in, having friends, balancing competing demands, living with family, and feeling pressure to do well.
• Diabetes-specific stressor themes were just having diabetes, dealing with emotions, and managing diabetes.

IntroductionTo examine general and diabetes-related stressors in early adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D).MethodData were from 205 participants (58% female; 33% minority; 11-14 years) enrolled in a clinical trial. Teens identified their top 3 stressors and responded to open-ended questions. A content analysis method was used to identify themes across stressor categories.ResultsEight-two percent of teens reported that school was a top stressor, followed by social life (49%) and diabetes (48%). We identified 5 themes of general life stressors (fitting in, having friends, balancing competing demands, living with family, and feeling pressure to do well) and 3 themes of diabetes-specific stressors (just having diabetes, dealing with emotions, and managing diabetes).DiscussionThough teens with T1D experienced stressors specific to T1D, they perceived stress related to normal adolescent growth and development more frequently. Teens with T1D may need psychosocial support that holistically addresses both typical developmental and diabetes-related stressors.