Diabetes Stigma and Psychosocial Outcomes in Adolescents and Young Adults: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.

Abstract

To examine the association between diabetes stigma, socioeconomic status, psychosocial variables, and substance use in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This is a cross-sectional analysis of AYAs from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study who completed a survey on diabetes-related stigma, generating a total diabetes stigma score. Using multivariable modeling, stratified by diabetes type, we examined the relationship of diabetes stigma with variables of interest. Of the 1,608 AYAs who completed the diabetes-related stigma survey, 78% had type 1 diabetes, and the mean age was 21.7 years. Higher diabetes stigma scores were associated with food insecurity (P = 0.001), disordered eating (P < 0.0001), depressive symptoms (P < 0.0001), and decreased health-related (P < 0.0001) and diabetes-specific quality of life (P < 0.0001). Diabetes stigma is associated with food insecurity, disordered eating, and lower psychosocial well-being.