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.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey (Swe-HFS) for use among Swedish-speaking patients with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: The HFS was translated using the forward-backward translation method and was thereafter answered by 325 type 1 patients. The psychometric properties were investigated using exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, content and convergent validity. RESULTS: The factor analysis showed that a three-factor solution was reasonable with the subscales Behaviour/Avoidance (10 items), Worry (6 items) and Aloneness (4 items). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total score was 0.85. The result also supports the instrument's content validity and convergent validity. CONCLUSION: The Swedish version of the HFS appears to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring fear of hypoglycaemia (FoH) in type 1 patients. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The results from this study suggest that the Swe-HFS, an instrument that is brief and easy to administer, may be valuable in clinically assessing FoH among patients with type 1 diabetes.

Aims  The aim of this study was to examine the fear of hypoglycaemia and its association with demographic and disease-specific variables in a large and unselective population of adult patients with Type 1 diabetes. Methods  Questionnaires were sent by post to all patients with Type 1 diabetes who were identified in the local diabetes registries of two hospitals in Stockholm, Sweden (n = 1387). Fear of hypoglycaemia was measured using the Swedish Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey, the Worry subscale and the Aloneness subscale. Demographic variables and disease-specific factors were collected from patients' self reports and medical records. Univariate analysis and multiple stepwise linear regression analysis were used in the statistical analyses of the data. Results  Seven hundred and sixty-four (55%) patients participated in the study (mean age 43.3 years and mean HbA(1c) 7.0%, normal < 5.0%). The Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey - Worry subscale was significantly associated with frequency of severe hypoglycaemia, number of symptoms during mild hypoglycaemia, gender, hypoglycaemic symptoms during hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemic unawareness. The Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey - Aloneness subscale was significantly associated with frequency of severe hypoglycaemia, number of symptoms during mild hypoglycaemia, gender, frequency of mild hypoglycaemia, HbA(1c) , hypoglycaemic unawareness and visits to the emergency room because of severe hypoglycaemia. Fear of hypoglycaemia proved to be more prevalent in females and indicated a different pattern between genders in relation to factors associated with fear of hypoglycaemia. Conclusions  This study identifies the frequency of severe hypoglycaemia as the most important factor associated with fear of hypoglycaemia. Moreover, for the first time, we document gender differences in fear of hypoglycaemia, suggesting that females are more affected by fear of hypoglycaemia than men.