A new study from Denmark highlights how screening for diabetes distress helped people with T1D to become aware of their emotional concerns and talk about it in a meaningful way
By Dr Jo Jordan
Living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is more than just managing blood glucose levels. The constant demands of daily self-management and ongoing concerns about hypoglycaemia and risk of diabetes complications can lead to feelings of frustration, worry, and burnout. This is called diabetes distress.
Despite being common, affecting up to 40% of people with T1D, diabetes distress is often not checked or discussed as part of routine care. A recent study from Denmark aimed to change that by introducing a simple screening method during regular check-ups with diabetes specialist nurses. Importantly, this study wanted to understand if this screening method was helpful for adults with T1D.
How were adults with T1D screened?
As part of their diabetes care check-up, adults with T1D were asked to complete the T1-Diabetes Distress Scale-7. This asks seven questions about their feelings on: powerlessness, diabetes management, hypoglycaemia, eating, friends or family, negative social views, and doctor related distress. Responses were discussed with a diabetes specialist nurse who was trained in having supportive conversations about diabetes distress. This involved using used open-ended questions and active listening to validate, normalise, and discuss emotional concerns.
What did the study find?
Thirty adults with T1D were asked about their experiences of being screened for diabetes distress. The study revealed three major benefits:
1. Opening eyes to emotional burden
Many participants were surprised by how much emotional stress they had been carrying—some did not even realise it until filling out the questions. One participant said:
“To begin with I thought that I for sure don’t suffer from diabetes distress…so it has been quite an eye-opener-and I realised that I had diabetes distress after all” (participant 29, male, age 37).
The questions also gave individuals words to describe their feelings that may not have been talked about as part of their check-up.
2. Conversations that matter lead to more personalised care
Talking about their responses helped individuals to have more meaningful conversations about the mental health challenges of living with T1D. As a result, people felt heard.
“…it gave something more specific to talk from. Here are seven questions (…) that helps to pinpoint which parts of the emotional aspects that are relevant to discuss” (participant 7, male, age 40).
This led to care plans being more focused on individual needs and made people feel better supported.
3. Increased satisfaction and engagement with diabetes care
Talking about both the physical and mental aspects of living with T1D made people feel more satisfied with their care and motivated to attend future check-ups.
“There was a long period where I didn’t go to regular checks because the only thing they asked about was those damn numbers. So, addressing the psychological aspect of diabetes as part of treatment, that’s something I’ve really missed.” (participant 26, female, age 56)
Why is this important?
This study showed that people with T1D benefited from diabetes distress screening and discussion being part of their routine check-up. For adults with T1D, this helped uncover hidden emotional impacts of T1D and gave people the words to be able to describe and talk about their feelings. Screening also supported diabetes nurses to develop care plans that better suited individual needs.
Bigger picture
This study highlights the importance of the emotional side of diabetes being discussed as part of routine care check-ups. While this study focused on people with T1D, screening for diabetes distress is equally important for people living with other types of diabetes.
To read more about diabetes distress, check out our previous blogs and webinars on this topic. Search Results for “diabetes distress” – ACBRD
Reference:
Stenov V, Due-Christensen M, Christensen JN, Willaing I, Cleal B. Discovering the hidden emotional burden: Systematic screening for diabetes distress in adults with type 1 diabetes in nurse-led routine diabetes care. Diabet Med. 2025 May 15:e70064. doi: 10.1111/dme.70064. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40373169.
Print This Post