In a new study, researchers found that age plays a critical role in the well-being of people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Younger patients more susceptible to psychological distress, resulting in worse health outcomes.
The research was conducted by a team at Carnegie Mellon University.
Currently, about 27 million people in the United States live with type 2 diabetes. Past research shows that stress linked to diabetes management leads to poor blood sugar control.
The researchers evaluated 207 patients (55% male, 53% white, 47% black, 25-82 years of age), who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the past two years.
They used several surveys to evaluate health, psychological distress, and health care, as well as studied the participants’ daily diaries to identify stressors.
They found younger patients (42 years and younger) experienced higher diabetes-related and psychological distress, as did patients with higher education and income.
Conversely, patients over 64 had less psychological stress and greater consistency in self-care, blood sugar control, and medication adherence. Patients in long-term relationships also reported less diabetes stress.
Patients identified diet as the greatest stressor (38%). Other big stressors include checking blood sugar (8%) and experiencing high or low blood sugar events (7%).
Patients who self-reported greater stress also reported greater depressed mood, less adherence to medication, and higher anxiety.
The team says diabetes care is difficult because it requires a lifestyle change that you have to do forever
Doctors can evaluate a patient’s initial stress and predict how they will be doing six months later.
If doctors can identify people who are facing diabetes distress earlier, they can intervene and prevent their health from declining.
The team believes older adults may live in the present compared to younger adults, whose focus on the future may magnify their stressors.
Diabetes is also more common as people age, and older patients may find more support from their peer group.
The team also suggests older adults may leverage past experiences to employ emotion regulation strategies to reduce the stress linked to managing the disease.
One author of the study is Vicki Helgeson, professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.
The study is published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine.
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