Worry and Mental Health in Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Commissariat, Persis V.; St Pierre, Danielle Sabino Anna Lee Sara Saylor Jennifer

Aim: There are many challenges to navigating young adulthood with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted mental health, particularly in young adults (YA) who may already struggle to find structure and support. Methods: Surveys were distributed electronically to YA with T1D (ages 17-30) associated with the College Diabetes Network, a nonprofit organization serving YA with diabetes, in Spring and Fall 2020. Participants in each cohort were asked to rate their worry about contracting COVID-19 (scale of 1-5, 5="very worried"), and report current diagnoses of depression or anxiety by a healthcare professional (yes/no). T-tests and chi-square tests examined the differences in reported COVID-19 worry, anxiety, and depression from Spring to Fall, as well as the association between worry and diagnosed depression/anxiety at both time points. Results: Participants were demographically similar at both time points ((M±SD) Spring: n=468, age 22.1±2.7 years, 82% female, 84% white;Fall: n=375, 22.4±3.2 years, 79% female, 82% white;p>.10). Overall, participants endorsed significantly more COVID-19 worry in Fall than in Spring (3.57±1.1 vs. 3.29±1.4;p<.001). Self-reported anxiety diagnoses showed an increasing trend from Spring to Fall (p=.065), while self-reported depression diagnoses showed no change between time points (p>.10). Participants with a pre-existing diagnosis of anxiety or depression endorsed significantly more COVID-19 worry than those without a mental health diagnosis at both time points during the pandemic (Spring: anxiety p=.012, depression p=.031;Fall: anxiety: p=.001, depression: p=.004). Conclusions: YA with T1D endorse more worry about contracting COVID-19 as the pandemic progresses, with an upward trend in anxiety diagnoses. Worry was exacerbated in those with a pre-existing mental health condition. These results underscore the need for greater support for YA with T1D, to reduce COVID-19 related worry and protect mental health outcomes.