Psychological distress in Aotearoa New Zealand adults with type 1 diabetes

Abstract

The psychological burden of type 1 diabetes (T1D) can negatively impact health outcomes. This study evaluates the prevalence of low mood (WHO-5), disordered eating (DEPS-R), diabetes distress (PAID) and fear of hypoglycaemia (HFS-II), in a sample of 250 New Zealand adults (8.4% Māori/91.6% non-Māori; 43.6% female/56.4% male) with T1D using validated tools. Māori and female patients indicated low mood, with lower median WHO-5 scores than non-Māori (p = 0.027) and males (p = 0.002). Māori were more likely to score in the clinical range on the WHO-5, DEPS-R, PAID and HFS-II (all p < 0.05). HbA1c was correlated with emotional well-being (r<inf>s</inf> = −0.189), diabetes distress (r<inf>s</inf> = 0.223) and disordered eating (r<inf>s</inf> = 0.389; all p < 0.001) whilst DEPS-R correlated with age (r<inf>s</inf> = −0.232) and BMI (r<inf>s</inf> = 0.343; both p ≤ 0.001). Thus, diabetes-related psychological distress is common in New Zealand adults with T1D, particularly for Māori, females and those with elevated HbA1c levels.