AIM: To describe experience from a behavioural medicine intervention among poorly controlled adult type 1 diabetes patients, in terms of feasibility, predictors and associations of improved glycaemic control. METHODS: Data were collected on 94 poorly controlled adult type 1 diabetes patients who were randomised to a study evaluating the effects of a behavioural medicine intervention. Statistics covered descriptive and comparison analysis. Backward stepwise regression models were used for predictive and agreement analyses involving socio-demographic and medical factors, as well as measures of diabetes self-efficacy (DES), diabetes locus of control (DLOC), self-care activities (SDSCA), diabetes-related distress (Swe-PAID-20), fear of hypoglycaemia (HFS), well-being (WBQ), depression (HAD) and perceived stress (PSS). RESULTS: The participation rate in the study was 41% and attrition was 24%. Of those patients actually participating in the behavioural medicine intervention, 13% withdrew. From the regression models no predictors or associations of improvement in HbA(1c) were found. CONCLUSIONS: The programme proved to be feasible in terms of design and methods. However, no clear pattern was found regarding predictors or associations of improved metabolic control as the response to the intervention. Further research in this area is called for.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of a Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)-based intervention on HbA(1c), self-care behaviors and psychosocial factors among poorly controlled adult type 1 diabetes patients. METHODS: Ninety-four type 1 diabetes patients were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention was based on CBT and was mainly delivered in group format, but individual sessions were also included. All subjects were provided with a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) during two 3-day periods. HbA(1c), self-care behaviors and psychosocial factors were measured up to 48 weeks. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed with respect to HbA(1c) (P<0.05), well-being (P<0.05), diabetes-related distress (P<0.01), frequency of blood glucose testing (P<0.05), avoidance of hypoglycemia (P<0.01), perceived stress (P<0.05), anxiety (P<0.05) and depression (P<0.05), all of which showed greater improvement in the intervention group compared with the control group. A significant difference (P<0.05) was registered with respect to non-severe hypoglycemia, which yielded a higher score in the intervention group. CONCLUSION: This CBT-based intervention appears to be a promising approach to diabetes self-management. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Diabetes care may benefit from applying tools commonly used in CBT. For further scientific evaluation in clinical practice, there is a need for specially educated diabetes care teams, trained in the current approach, as well as cooperation between diabetes care teams and psychologists trained in CBT.

BACKGROUND: Considering the importance of psychological aspects in the management of diabetes, there is a need of validated measurements in this area. Such tools make it possible to screen patients for specific conditions as well as they serve as reliable measures when evaluating medical, psychological and educational interventions. OBJECTIVES: The current study was conducted to adapt the Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale for use among Swedish-speaking patients with type 1 diabetes and to evaluate the psychometric properties. DESIGN: Methodological research design was used in this study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 325 type 1 diabetes patients was systematically selected from the local diabetes registry of a university hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. METHODS: Following the linguistic adaptation using the forward-backward translation method, the 20-item PAID was answered by the selected patients. Statistics covered exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, convergent validity and content validity. RESULTS: In the factor analysis a three-factor solution was found to be reasonable with the sub-dimensions diabetes-related emotional problems (15 items), treatment-related problems (2 items) and support-related problems (3 items). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total score was 0.94 and varied between 0.61 and 0.94 in the three subscales. The findings also gave support for the convergent and content validity. CONCLUSIONS: The Swedish version of the Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (Swe-PAID-20) seems to be a reliable and valid outcome for measuring diabetes-related emotional distress in type 1 diabetes patients.