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How Do the Challenges of Emerging Adulthood Inform our Understanding of Diabetes Distress? An Integrative Review

  • Psychosocial Aspects (S Jaser, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Emerging adulthood (ages 18–29) presents many emotional, social, and developmental challenges that can contribute to an increased sense of burden when managing type 1 diabetes (T1D). Diabetes distress (DD) is the concept that captures the emotional burden, frustrations, and worries resulting from living with T1D. This integrative review sets out to examine the impact of developmental context by answering this question: How do the challenges of emerging adulthood inform our understanding of DD?

Recent Findings

DD is highly prevalent in emerging adults and occurs at higher rates than in other age groups. Qualitative studies reveal that DD is embedded within the developmental challenges specific to living with T1D during this stage.

Summary

Quantitative studies reveal the prevalence and correlates of DD in this age group, and qualitative studies augment these findings by capturing the scope and complexity of the emotional burden of living with T1D as an emerging adult.

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Notes

  1. One group in Belgium examined DD in multiple studies with emerging adults; however, the authors used modified versions of the PAID and did not report total DD scores, only subscales. The results of these studies could not be compared with the other measures of DD used in this review [63,64,65,66,67,68,69].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. William F Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Boston, MA, USA

    Katherine Wentzell & Judith A. Vessey

  2. Pediatric, Adolescent & Young Adult Section, Joslin Diabetes Center, 1 Joslin Place, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Katherine Wentzell & Lori M. B. Laffel

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  1. Katherine Wentzell
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Correspondence to Katherine Wentzell.

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Conflict of Interest

Katherine Wentzell and Judith A. Vessey each declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Lori M. B. Laffel is a consultant for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., ConvaTec, Dexcom, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Insulet Corporation, Insulogic, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, Roche Diagnostics, and Sanofi U.S.

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Wentzell, K., Vessey, J.A. & Laffel, L.M.B. How Do the Challenges of Emerging Adulthood Inform our Understanding of Diabetes Distress? An Integrative Review. Curr Diab Rep 20, 21 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-020-01301-3

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