Stability and impact of diabetes distress over time: The potential value and uses of the type 1 diabetes distress assessment system (T1-DDAS)

Authors: Danielle M Hessler, William H Polonsky, Lisa Strycker, Diana Naranjo, Katherine Greenberg, Lawrence Fisher

Abstract

Aims: To document stability and change over time, define a minimal clinically important difference (MCID), and examine the predictive validity of the new Type 1 Diabetes Distress Assessment System (T1-DDAS).

Methods: A total of 574 adults with type 1 diabetes recruited through national registries and previous studies completed the T1-DDAS Core and Source scales alongside a report of insulin taking and glycaemic measures at baseline and 6 months later.

Results: The MCID for the T1-DAS is ±0.27. T1-DDAS scores were highly stable over 6 months: 88% of individuals with elevated Core Diabetes Distress (DD) in the study continued to report elevated DD at or above the 2.0 threshold 6 months later; 57% reported no improvement or a worsening in Core DD based on MCID. Elevated DD at baseline was linked to worsening in reported missed insulin bolus taking and HbA1c at 6 months.

Conclusions: Findings add to our understanding of DD and the utility of the T1-DDAS by demonstrating the stability and predictive validity of the T1-DDAS Core and Source scales to assess DD.

Keywords: diabetes distress; emotion; type 1 diabetes.

Source: Stability and impact of diabetes distress over time: The potential value and uses of the type 1 diabetes distress assessment system (T1-DDAS) – PubMed

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BDI Monthly Events

February 3: Dr. Guzman (BDI’s Director of Clinical Education) will moderate ADA’s “Diabetes 101: Case Management Webinar”.

February 11: BDI hosts the San Diego-wide, monthly case consultation meeting (for mental health professionals working in the field of diabetes). Contact us at [email protected] if you are in the greater San Diego area and would like further information about this program.

February 22: Time for another T1D meet-up! GrownupT1Ds, a wonderful nonprofit that organizes fun social events for adults with type 1 diabetes here in southern California and now spreading to other cities across the United States. The next one will be at 1 pm at Hooleys Public House, 5500 Grossmont Center Dr, La Mesa, CA. This event is free, but space is limited. Please RSVP at www.grownupt1ds.org

On April 18, BDI will host a live, one-day, CME workshop: Engaging the Disengaged: Innovative Strategies for Promoting Behavior Change in Diabetes. Run by Dr. Polonsky (BDI President) and Dr. Guzman (BDI Clinic Director), Participants will deepen their skills in recognizing and addressing common barriers to effective self-care and cardiometabolic medication initiation and maintenance, while fostering respectful, stigma-free clinical encounters.