8-OR: Depression and Diabetes Distress in African American and Latino Parents of Children with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D)

Abstract

Introduction: Parents of young children experience high levels of depression and diabetes distress immediately post-diagnosis. However, there is a limited understanding of these factors later in the disease course, especially among parents from racial/ethnic minority groups who face management difficulties and persistent T1D health disparities (i.e., higher HA1c). This study described parental depressive symptoms, diabetes distress and adherence among African American and Latino parents of children with T1D duration > 1 year. Methods: African American (n = 39) and Latino (n = 26) parents of children age 5-10 years (M 9.0 ± 1.7 yrs; M HA1c = 9.0 ± 1.9; M T1D duration = 3.7±2.2 yrs) were enrolled in a behavioral intervention trial. At baseline they reported on demographics, treatment adherence (Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire, DSMQ), diabetes distress (Problem Areas in Diabetes Revised for parents, PAID-PR), and depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression, CES-D). HA1c was extracted from the medical record. Results: Over one-quarter (27%) of African American (M CES-D = 13.6 ± 9.5) and 42% of Latino (M CES-D = 14.1 ± 8.8) parents reported moderate/severe depressive symptoms. Nearly half (49%) of African American (M PAID-PR = 56.7 ± 19.7) and 38% of Latino (M PAID-PR = 50.2 ± 17.8) parents reported diabetes distress above a clinical cutoff. Both African American and Latino parents reported high levels of adherence (M DSMQ = 25.9 ± 4.7 and 26.7 ± 4.3, respectively, out of 35). Conclusions: Substantial proportions of African American and Latino parents of school-aged children who have been managing T1D for at least 1 year experience serious mood concerns, both diabetes-specific and general. High levels of T1D adherence indicate resilience in the face of such challenges. Supporting parental psychosocial functioning should be a high priority for diabetes care providers, especially among minority families who may be experiencing elevated challenges. Disclosure S. A. Carreon: None. J. N. Jones: None. A. Reyes garcia: None. K. S. Peters: None. K. K. Christopher: None. M. E. Hilliard: None. A. Butler: None. Funding National Institutes of Health (1DP3DK113236)