Depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents with type 1 diabetes – a single-centre observational study

Introduction
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) significantly affects the everyday functioning of the child and its family. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety and estimate their potential association with various clinical parameters.

Material and methods
59 adolescents with T1DM (age 15–18) and their parents answered validated questionnaires (Children’s Depression Inventory 2, The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and a survey assessing everyday functioning. 

Results
There were no significant differences in the occurrence of symptoms of depression in children and their parents (p = 0.975), but significant differences were found for anxiety. The distribution of the sten X1 and X2 values of adolescents and parents were different (p = 0.021 and p = 0.001, respectively). Girls were characterized by a higher level of depression both based on the overall score (p = 0.010) and the emotional problems (p = 0.022), and functional problems (p = 0.012). There was no significant correlation between diabetes duration time, glycaemic control, the occurrence of acute diabetes complications, and the parameters assessing anxiety and depression. Optimal glycaemic control, defined as HbA1c below 6.5% and TIR above 70%, was associated with sex (p = 0.001) and a high level of functional problems (p = 0.048). 

Conclusions
In the studied population, adolescent girls with T1DM presented depressive symptoms more often than boys, and anxiety symptoms in adolescents were described more frequently by parents than by the teenagers themselves. Higher HbA1c was correlated with a higher level of functional problems.