BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1615273
This article is part of the Research TopicNavigating Mental Health Through Major Life Transitions: Challenges and Support Across the LifespanView all 4 articles
Diabetes-Related Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Resilience, and Illness Management among Adolescents and Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes: An Exploratory Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Japan
- 2Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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Aims: This study examined relationships between diabetes-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depression, anxiety, resilience, Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), self-care behaviors, and diabetes-related distress among adolescents and young adults (AYA) with type 1 diabetes, a group navigating critical developmental transitions. Methods: Fifty AYA, aged 14-25, from a pediatric diabetes unit of an urban academic medical center participated. Diabetes-related PTSS, mental health, resilience, and diabetes self-care were assessed using validated scales. Statistical analyses examined associations and predicted likelihoods of mental health difficulties based on PTSS severity. Results: The average HbA1c was 8.36% (SD = 1.76), with 74% exceeding the recommended level. About 30% exhibited clinically relevant diabetes-related PTSS. PTSS was positively correlated with depression (r = 0.367, p = 0.009), anxiety (r = 0.435, p = 0.002), and diabetesrelated distress (r = 0.436, p = 0.002), and negatively correlated with resilience (r = -0.330, p = 0.019). Higher PTSS severity increased the odds of depression (OR = 1.08, p = 0.022) and anxiety (OR = 1.09, p = 0.009), while reducing resilience (OR = 0.931, p = 0.034).Addressing both psychological and physical aspects of diabetes is essential. Integrating trauma-informed care and PTSS screening into routine management may improve outcomes and better support AYA during transitions. Given the study's small sample and cross-sectional design, future longitudinal research is needed to confirm these findings.
Keywords: type 1 diabetes, posttraumatic stress symptoms, Adolescents and young adults, resilience, Mental Health
Received: 21 Apr 2025; Accepted: 01 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hosoda-Urban and O'Donnell. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Tamaki Hosoda-Urban, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Japan
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