Emotional and Behavioral Problems and Glycemic Control in Adolescents with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Adolescents with diabetes require strict self-management in all aspects of their lives and are strongly advised to follow treatment guidelines that cover insulin self-administration, glucose tests, regular exercise, and dietary regimens. Without proper glycemic control, diabetic adolescents will experience hypoglycemic shock, ensuing emotional anxiety, and psychological withdrawal due to concerns about related chronic diabetic complications. Additionally, the treatment of such symptoms requires frequent hospitalization, which makes it difficult for such patients to stay committed to everyday school requirements and exerts potentially negative effects on friendships and adaptations to their school life [4]. Adolescent patients with diabetes are particularly vulnerable to psychological problems because they are at a developmental stage in which people typically experience physical, psychological, and social changes while they are experiencing isolation from their peers and facing the grave prospect of life-long treatment [5]. One longitudinal study reported that 47.6% of youth with diabetes developed psychiatric morbidity during the first 10 years of diabetes [6].