A MENTORING PROGRAM FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH DIABETES

Adequate psychosocial support is a major factor in well-managed diabet es, especially with newly-diagnosed adolescents who face many life cha nges. A review of the literature shows that few psychosocial support s ystems exist for adolescents with diabetes. Few psychosocial intervent ions have been tested and shown to be effective in improving the diabe tes-related behavior of adolescents. The purpose of this paper is to p rovide an overview of the emotional and developmental needs of adolesc ents who are newly diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and to propose a mentoring program that pairs a qualified, supportive young adult who is knowledgeable about diabetes with a newly diagnosed teenager with a similar socioeconomic background. The trained mentor will provide support to the adolescent regarding diabetes-related issu es as well as other issues related to adolescence.