Stress management training as related to glycemic control and mood in adults with Type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Relationships between attending a stress management and relaxation-training program, glycemic control (HbA(1c)) and mood were examined in two randomised groups of 31 persons with Type 1 diabetes. The program involved group-education 2 h a week for 14 weeks. Whereas one group received the program, the other acted as a control group and received the program later. HbA(1c) was measured and subjects filled out a mood adjective checklist before the start of intervention and both 1 month and 1 year after completing it. In both groups, significant positive mood changes were obtained, but no significant changes in HbA(1c) values occurred. No significant relationship was found between measures of change in HbA(1c) and of changes in mood. For those attending the group-sessions less frequently, the HbA(1c) values were significantly worse on each of the three measurement occasions than the values of those attending more frequently. The effectiveness of the program, with its failure to improve glycemic control but enhancing the mood of participants, is discussed in terms of characteristics of the sample and various methodological issues as well as in comparison with results of similar studies involving Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.