Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Among potential barriers for people with diabetes mellitus (DM) to reach glycemic goals is diabetes distress. Accumulating evidence suggests diabetes distress may be linked to individuals’ emotion regulation capacities. The aim of this study was to explicate the relationships between variables of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), diabetes distress, emotion regulation, and self-care variables through the analysis of cross-sectional data from individuals with type 2 DM.

Materials and methods: We used structural equation modeling to assess the cross-sectional relationships between variables of HbA1c, diabetes distress, emotion regulation, and self-care variables through the analysis of cross-sectional data from 95 individuals with Type 2 DM. After giving informed consent agreeing that their data would be used for research purposes without identifying them, study participants were evaluated by clinical psychologists with a structured clinical assessment and a series of other assessments relevant to DM.

Results: Study examined two potential explanatory models with one of the models showing a more comprehensive view of the data revealing a total effect of poor emotional regulation on HbA1c levels. Diabetes distress in adults is linked with heightened negative emotionality (Emotion Regulation-Experience) and reduced skill at emotional regulation (Emotion Regulation-Skill) in adults, both of which are related to elevated HbA1c levels and that these relationships are stronger than that with diabetes self-care.

Conclusions: This study suggests that, in people with DM, elevated HbA1c levels and diabetes distress are linked with poor emotion regulation. These data suggest that targeting difficulties in emotion regulation may hold promise for maximizing improvement in diabetes distress and HbA1c in individuals with DM.