The Effects of Stress and Coping Styles on Blood Glucose and Mood in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

This study explores the relation of stress and coping style to blood glucose and mood in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes is a complex disease to manage due to the daily regimen that each patient must undergo to prevent negative health consequences. The two primary goals of the study were: (1) to examine the relation of stressful daily events to mood and blood glucose levels in adolescents and (2) to examine whether chronic life events and coping styles moderate these relations. To accomplish this, stressors and mood were measured on a daily basis among 20 adolescents with diabetes for one week. At study start, we collected information about coping style and chronic stressors. Results revealed that daily stress did not predict blood glucose levels but did predict mood. Chronic stress did not moderate the relation between daily stress and blood glucose, but did moderate the relation between daily stress and mood. Daily stress was associated to poorer mood but especially so for those with lower chronic stress. Coping style also moderated the relations of daily stress to blood glucose and mood. The findings suggest that individual differences in chronic stress and coping styles moderate the effects of daily stress on adolescents’ health. Stress and Coping in Diabetes 3 The Effects of Stress and Coping Styles on Blood Glucose and Mood in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the body’s ability to produce insulin, a hormone necessary for normal glucose metabolism in the body. It is one of the more common chronic diseases in children and adolescents. About one in every 400 to 600 children and adolescents has type 1 diabetes (American Diabetes Association, 2008). The disease requires the person to take an active role in maintaining blood glucose levels in a normal range. The daily regimen involves administering multiple insulin injections, blood glucose monitoring, maintaining a proper diet, and engaging in regular exercise. Proper adherence to this regimen allows the person to avoid extreme swings in blood glucose that can lead to severe hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis (if too high) or hypoglycemia (if too low). Low blood glucose levels, or hypoglycemia, if unaddressed can lead to severe headaches, comas and ultimately death. On the other side of the metabolic control spectrum, high blood glucose levels can cause long term complications, which include blindness, kidney disease, and nerve damage (American Diabetes Association, 2008). Because maintaining a healthy blood glucose level is necessary for the prevention of these complications, there has been a large focus on the psychosocial factors that may affect a patient’s ability to manage the disease.