| Description |
Type I diabetes mellitus is a chronic illness that typically develops in early childhood or adolescence (Gage, Hampson, Skinner, Hart, Storey, Foxcroft, Kimber, Cradock, McEvilly, 2004). It is characterized by the inability of the pancreas to produce islet cells that are essential to the metabolism of carbohydrates. Adolescents with type I diabetes are at an increased risk for depression and anxiety disorders, which may in part be due to the fact that adolescents dealing with type I diabetes are subjected to strict and unrelenting regimens of diabetes management (Harris, Freeman, & Duke, 2010). A systematic review by Cox and Gonder-Rederick reported that, "Depression and anxiety has been associated with poor diabetes management" (Cox, & Gonder-Rederick, 1992, p. 629), which can increase the potential for long-term diabetes complications. The psychological impact of a diagnosis of type I diabetes for an adolescent depends on the psychosocial resources and support available to the family (Dahan, 2010). Despite the high incidence of type I diabetes, psychosocial interventions for the treatment of depression and anxiety have not been extensively studied. This paper will address the following question: What psychosocial interventions prevent or reduce symptoms of depression or anxiety among adolescents living with type I diabetes? A review of the literature will identify evidenced-based psychosocial interventions and lead to the formulation of clinical recommendations for treating adolescents with type I diabetes who are at risk for developing or already demonstrate symptoms of depression or anxiety. The search strategy used included the following search terms: "psychosocial interventions,Type I Diabetes, "adolescent," depression, and anxiety. Google Scholar, PubMed, and CINHAL search databases were used; in addition, the reference lists of relevant articles were reviewed for an exhaustive review of all the included articles. |
