Date of Submission

2021

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department Chair

Stephanie Felgoise, PhD, ABPP

First Advisor

Robert DiTomasso, PhD, ABPP

Second Advisor

Michelle Lent, PhD

Third Advisor

Chistine Ferri, PhD

Abstract

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is less common than Type 2 Diabetes (T2D); however, its growing incidence, chronic prognosis, and increased self-management burden, produce unique psychosocial challenges for this population. Specifically, these individuals are atrisk for poor diabetes self-efficacy, and poor glycemic control, which can contribute to diabetes-specific mood alterations, or diabetes distress (DD), and an overall reduction in diabetes-specific health-related quality of life. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Diabetes Training Camp (DTC) 1-week intervention in mitigating psychosocial distress utilizing a repeated measures design to evaluate the impact of participation on measures of DD, diabetes quality of life (DQOL) and diabetes self-efficacy from baseline to 6-week follow-up. Statistically significant improvements in DQOL were found to be associated with participation in the DTC intervention. Similar improvements were not found in measures of DD or diabetes self-efficacy. Additionally, there was not a significant relationship demonstrated between improvements in DQOL and diabetes selfefficacy. These results may partially be attributed to the demographics of the sample. Specifically, many participants indicated high levels of physical activity and glycemic control prior to participation, which likely contributed to higher baseline levels of diabetes self-efficacy. Similarly, self-selection bias in our sample, may have contributed to lower levels of DD prior to participation. DTC is a self-pay program and generally only accessible to individuals with higher SES. DTC and similar psychosocial interventions require further study to evaluate potential benefits and contributions to improving overall health outcomes and relieving psychosocial burden for adults with T1D.

Download

Share

COinS