A stress management intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes

PURPOSE The purpose of this project was to examine the effectiveness of a s tress management training program in helping adolescents with diabetes cope with stress. METHODS Youths who displayed evidence of metabolic control problems receive d training in the use of both cognitive-restructuring and problem-solving s trategies. Treatment impact was assessed on measures of coping, anxiety lev el, diabetes-specific stress, and metabolic control. RESULTS Analyses of covariance showed no differences between the training g roup and a control group at posttest and follow-up. However, the small samp le sire and within-group variability may have precluded finding significant results. Therefore, within-group comparisons were conducted, and improveme nts were found in the training group on pretest to posttest and pretest to follow-up comparisons for anxiety, stress, and coping measures. No differen ces were found in the control group. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that the intervention had some positive impact, although this interpretation must be considered preliminary. Future resear ch should replicate this study and explore the applicability and effectiven ess of this intervention in specific populations.