Short summary

The aims of the study is 1) to co-design an intervention with people with diabetes and health care professionals to support positive adaptive strategies for adults recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, 2) to feasibility test the intervention prior to a larger effectiveness trial.

Rationale

To be diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in adult life can be experienced as a disruption to people's life resulting in physical, psychological and social challenges for the individual. Research has shown that challenges regarding physical issues and treatment are addressed systematically by specialised health care professionals at the time of diagnosis. Social and psychological challenges experienced by adults following their diagnosis with type 1 diabetes are on the other hand not addressed systematically although we know that people with type 1 diabetes who experience such challenges more often tend to struggle with coming to terms with diabetes and engage in self-management activities to help them reach the recommended HbA1C.

Several studies show that people with longer diabetes duration would like to talk about psychosocial challenges related to diabetes with their health care professional. However, only a quarter of all people with diabetes report they have discussed their mental well-being with their diabetes health care professional.

Our study aim to co-design new ways of providing psychosocial support to adults with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes to aid the conversation about psychosocial challenges between the person with diabetes and the health care professional.We expect that such support will make it easier for the person with diabetes and the health care professional to discuss some of the emotional and social challenges that can make it difficult to cope with diabetes in everyday life and can affect quality of life negatively. Such conversations may contribute to legitimising different types of challenges the person with diabetes encounters and normalising their experiences of coming to terms with a life with type 1 diabetes and hence reduce the risk of future complications by improving their well-being and HbA1c.

Description of the cohort

Adults over 18 years diagnosed type 1 diabetes within the past 18 months

Data and biological material

Questionnaires and Interviews

Collaborating researchers and departments

Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care, Kings College London

• Professor Angus Forbes

Steno Diabetes Center Zealand

Publications associated with the project

Due-Christensen M, Willaing I, Ismail K, Forbes A. Learning about Type 1 diabetes and learning to live with it when diagnosed in adulthood: two distinct but inter-related psychological processes of adaptation A qualitative longitudinal study. Diabet Med. 2019 Jun;36(6):742-752. doi: 10.1111/dme.13838. Epub 2018 Oct 29. PMID: 30329176.

Due-Christensen M, Zoffmann V, Willaing I, Hopkins D, Forbes A. The Process of Adaptation Following a New Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes in Adulthood: A Meta-Synthesis. Qual Health Res. 2018 Jan;28(2):245-258. doi: 10.1177/1049732317745100. PMID: 29235942.

Due-Christensen M, Joensen LE, Sarre S, et alA co-design study to develop supportive interventions to improve psychological and social adaptation among adults with new-onset type 1 diabetes in Denmark and the UKBMJ Open 2021;11:e051430. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051430