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Self-Management Habit Strength in Teens with Type 1 Diabetes: Relation to Diabetes-Specific Health-Related Quality of Life
Wansky, Skyler
Wansky, Skyler
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Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder in which the body is unable to regulate blood glucose. Managing T1D as a teen is challenging, and self-management behaviors (e.g., glucose checking, carbohydrate counting) must be performed daily to prevent immediate risk for mortality and long-term health consequences. However, self-management behaviors often conflict with teens’ desires for autonomy and normalcy. Teens who struggle to maintain high engagement in diabetes self-management behaviors report greater diabetes-related stress and lower diabetes-specific health-related quality of life (D-HRQOL). Psychosocial interventions to increase diabetes self-management by increasing goal setting and other coping skills have limited benefits. Since health behaviors performed as habits are often perceived as less burdensome, interventions to increase diabetes self-management behavior habits in teens might be a novel approach to promote treatment engagement and improve D-HRQOL. This study evaluated this underlying premise by examining whether there is a cross-sectional relationship between increased diabetes self-management habit strength and improved D-HRQOL. Habit strength and overall D-HRQOL were found to have a strong, positive correlation, which is consistent with previous literature. Conversely, there was no significant relationship found between habit strength and D-HRQOL specific to peer relationships, nor between habit strength and D-HRQOL specific to daily emotions and activities. The results of this study suggest interventions focusing on strengthening habit formation, such as those used in occupational therapy, might be useful. Future studies should focus on diversifying the sample population and exploring causal relationships in other subscales of D-HRQOL.
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2026-04-23
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Thesis - Wansky.pdf
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- Embargoed until 2027-04-23
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Department of Psychological Science