The Role of Parent Self-Regulation in Youth Type 1 Diabetes Management

Parental Psychosocial Variables and Glycemic Control in T1D Pediatric Age: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review aimed to summarize the evidence regarding the relationship between parental psychosocial (e.g., fear of hypoglycemia, stress and family conflict) and glycemic outcomes in children between the age of 1-10 years old.

RECENT FINDINGS

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in young children can be very complex to manage for their parents since they are the main individuals responsible for T1D tasks. Also, parental psychological adjustment impacts children's glycemic outcomes. This systematic review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. The search process was conducted in four databases from 2019 to 2024. From a total of 215 studies, 5 were included. We identified five studies that found direct associations between parental psychosocial variables and children's glycemic outcomes. These findings suggest a unidirectional perspective, evidencing the need to examine the longitudinal interplay between these variables. In sum, promoting parental psychological interventions may be fundamental for enhancing children's glycemic outcomes.

Diabetes Care in the School Setting: A Statement of the American Diabetes Association

Diabetes is a prevalent chronic disease in school-age children. To keep students with diabetes safe at school, support their long-term health, prevent complications, and ensure full participation in all school activities, proper monitoring of and response to glucose levels must be attended to throughout the school day and during all school-sponsored activities. Care coordination among the family, school, and diabetes health care professionals is critical. With proper planning, including the education and training of school staff, children and youth with diabetes can fully and safely participate in school. In this statement, we review the legal framework for diabetes care in schools, the core components of school-based diabetes care, the responsibilities of various stakeholders, and special circumstances.

Sleep Quality, Metabolic Function, Physical Activity, and Neurocognition Among Individuals with Resistant Hypertension

BACKGROUND

Resistant hypertension (RH) is a major risk factor for stroke, cognitive decline, and dementia. Sleep quality is increasingly suggested to play an important role linking RH to cognitive outcomes, although the mechanisms linking sleep quality to poor cognitive function have yet to be fully delineated.

OBJECTIVE

To delineate biobehavioral mechanisms linking sleep quality, metabolic function, and cognitive function among 140 overweight/obese adults with RH in the TRIUMPH clinical trial.

METHODS

Sleep quality was indexed using actigraphy measures of sleep quality and sleep fragmentation, as well as self-reported sleep quality from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Cognitive function was assessed using a 45-minute battery assessing executive function, processing speed, and memory. Participants were randomized to a cardiac rehabilitation-based lifestyle program (C-LIFE) or a standardized education and physician advice condition (SEPA) for 4 months.

RESULTS

Better sleep quality at baseline was associated with better executive function (B = 0.18 p = 0.027), as well as greater fitness (B = 0.27, p = 0.007) and lower HBA1c (B = -0.25, p = 0.010). Cross-sectional analyses revealed that the sleep quality executive function association was mediated by HBA1c (B = 0.71 [0.05, 2.05]). C-LIFE improved sleep quality (-1.1 [-1.5, -0.6] versus+-0.1 [-0.8, 0.7]) and actigraphy steps (+922 [529, 1316] versus+56 [-548, 661]), with actigraphy mediating improvements in executive function (B = 0.40 [0.02, 1.07]).

CONCLUSION

Better metabolic function and improved physical activity patterns levels play important roles linking sleep quality and executive function in RH.

Self-Regulation as a Protective Factor for Diabetes Distress and Adherence in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE

The COVID-19 pandemic increased economic, social, and health stressors for families, yet its impacts on families of youth with chronic conditions, such as type 1 diabetes (T1D), are not well understood. Self-regulation (SR)-or the capacities to control emotions, cognition, and behavior in response to challenge-is known to support T1D management and coping in the face of stress. Strong SR may have protected youth with T1D from the impacts of pandemic-related stressors. This study compared youth and parent emotional functioning and T1D management before and after the pandemic's onset in relation to family pandemic-related stress and youth SR.

METHODS

Parents of youth with T1D (N = 88) and a subset of these youth (N = 43; Mean age 15.3 years [SD 2.2]) completed surveys regarding SR, stress, emotional functioning, and T1D-related functioning prior to and after March 2020. Outcomes were compared using mixed effects models adjusting for covariates. Family pandemic-related stress experiences and youth SR were tested as moderators of change.

RESULTS

Parents' responsibility for T1D management increased across pandemic onset and their diabetes-related distress decreased. Family pandemic-related stress was associated with decreased emotional functioning over time. Youth SR, particularly emotional and behavioral aspects, predicted better emotional and T1D-related functioning.

DISCUSSION

While youth with T1D whose families experienced higher pandemic-related stress had poorer adjustment, strong emotional and behavioral SR appeared to protect against worsening youth mood and adherence across pandemic onset. Both social-contextual and individual factors are important to consider when working with families managing T1D.