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Correlates and outcomes of worries about hypoglycemia in family members of adults with diabetes: the second Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN2) Study

Correlates and outcomes of worries about hypoglycemia in family members of adults with diabetes: the second Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN2) Study
Correlates and outcomes of worries about hypoglycemia in family members of adults with diabetes: the second Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN2) Study
Objective: We examined (a) the demographic and clinical correlates of worries about hypoglycemia in adult family members of adults with diabetes, and (b) the association of these worries with measures of diabetes support.

Methods: The second multinational Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN2) study cross-sectionally surveyed 2057 family members from 17 countries. Participants completed questions about demographics, diabetes, and psychosocial functioning, including worry about overall and nocturnal hypoglycemia. Analyses included hierarchical ordinal and linear regression.

Results: Eighty-five percent of family members (n = 1661) were at least occasionally very worried about the risk of hypoglycemic events overall. Correlates of worries about hypoglycemia included female gender, higher age and lower education in the family member, younger age of the person with diabetes and this person being a parent or another adult (versus spouse or partner), insulin or non-insulin injectable treatment, severe or non-severe hypoglycemia in the past 12 months, and family member recognition of hypoglycemia. Elevated worries about hypoglycemia had a significant independent association with increased odds of diabetes-related family arguments and family member frustration in providing helpful support (OR range 1.60–3.72). High levels of worries about hypoglycemia were associated with increased odds of attending diabetes-related health-care visits. Worries about hypoglycemia were not associated with family member involvement in diabetes care. Similar results were found for worries about nocturnal events.

Conclusion: Worries about hypoglycemia were common in family members and were associated with suboptimal diabetes support. This issue therefore deserves increased clinician attention.
0022-3999
69-77
Nefs, Giesje
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Pouwer, Francois
c29a25bf-6671-4892-ab13-6d93790d13a6
Holt, Richard I.G.
d54202e1-fcf6-4a17-a320-9f32d7024393
Skovlund, Soren
7a4f9f15-98fc-45a2-a0ce-7a8841196afd
Hermanns, Norbert
0ac92901-b95b-4a3e-977f-ac5f9f408958
Nicolucci, Antonio
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Peyrot, Mark
75a1134d-9165-40f0-958b-9a3867c9039f
Nefs, Giesje
f2da680d-c379-447a-a659-8826e4bfe57b
Pouwer, Francois
c29a25bf-6671-4892-ab13-6d93790d13a6
Holt, Richard I.G.
d54202e1-fcf6-4a17-a320-9f32d7024393
Skovlund, Soren
7a4f9f15-98fc-45a2-a0ce-7a8841196afd
Hermanns, Norbert
0ac92901-b95b-4a3e-977f-ac5f9f408958
Nicolucci, Antonio
7757ab78-2256-43e3-9167-c32904869a58
Peyrot, Mark
75a1134d-9165-40f0-958b-9a3867c9039f

Nefs, Giesje, Pouwer, Francois, Holt, Richard I.G., Skovlund, Soren, Hermanns, Norbert, Nicolucci, Antonio and Peyrot, Mark (2016) Correlates and outcomes of worries about hypoglycemia in family members of adults with diabetes: the second Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN2) Study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 89, 69-77. (doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2016.07.017). (PMID:27663113)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objective: We examined (a) the demographic and clinical correlates of worries about hypoglycemia in adult family members of adults with diabetes, and (b) the association of these worries with measures of diabetes support.

Methods: The second multinational Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN2) study cross-sectionally surveyed 2057 family members from 17 countries. Participants completed questions about demographics, diabetes, and psychosocial functioning, including worry about overall and nocturnal hypoglycemia. Analyses included hierarchical ordinal and linear regression.

Results: Eighty-five percent of family members (n = 1661) were at least occasionally very worried about the risk of hypoglycemic events overall. Correlates of worries about hypoglycemia included female gender, higher age and lower education in the family member, younger age of the person with diabetes and this person being a parent or another adult (versus spouse or partner), insulin or non-insulin injectable treatment, severe or non-severe hypoglycemia in the past 12 months, and family member recognition of hypoglycemia. Elevated worries about hypoglycemia had a significant independent association with increased odds of diabetes-related family arguments and family member frustration in providing helpful support (OR range 1.60–3.72). High levels of worries about hypoglycemia were associated with increased odds of attending diabetes-related health-care visits. Worries about hypoglycemia were not associated with family member involvement in diabetes care. Similar results were found for worries about nocturnal events.

Conclusion: Worries about hypoglycemia were common in family members and were associated with suboptimal diabetes support. This issue therefore deserves increased clinician attention.

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Accepted/In Press date: 29 July 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 August 2016
Published date: October 2016
Organisations: Faculty of Medicine

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 400651
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/400651
ISSN: 0022-3999
PURE UUID: 926513d2-709d-4d8c-8c40-bdf198ac48c1
ORCID for Richard I.G. Holt: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8911-6744

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Date deposited: 21 Sep 2016 09:35
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:54

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Contributors

Author: Giesje Nefs
Author: Francois Pouwer
Author: Soren Skovlund
Author: Norbert Hermanns
Author: Antonio Nicolucci
Author: Mark Peyrot

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