Diabetes Distress and Unmet Support Needs Hinder Optimal Care for Adolescents With Type 2 Diabetes: A Mixed Methods Study

Objectives: Adolescents with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are more likely than those with type 1 diabetes (T1D) to develop complications soon after diagnosis. However, limited data exist about diabetes‐specific distress (DD) and how diabetes teams can better support adolescents with T2D. We aimed to assess DD and other aspects of emotional/mental health among adolescents with T2D and qualitatively explore their lived experience and support needs. Methods: This study used a cross‐sectional mixed methods survey of adolescents with T2D, recruited via two tertiary diabetes clinics. Study outcomes included the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS), World Health Organization‐Five Well‐being Index (WHO‐5), Patient Health Questionnaire‐2 (PHQ‐2) and two free‐text questions concerning what they wished their health professionals understood about living with T2D and diabetes support. Descriptive statistics and inductive thematic analysis were applied. Results: Forty adolescents with T2D (22 females, predominantly from non‐Indigenous background) completed all questionnaires. Nineteen were taking metformin, 18 were taking metformin plus injectables, and 3 were on lifestyle management. They had mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of 15.7 ± 2.1 years, median (interquartile range [IQR]) diabetes duration of 1.8 (0.8–2.6) years and median (IQR) glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) of 6.9 (6.0–9.5)% (52 [42–80] mmol/mol). Twenty‐one (53%) adolescents had moderate‐to‐severe DD, 16 (40%) had suboptimal emotional well‐being, and 23 (58%) had depressive symptoms; 15 (38%) had both DD and depressive symptoms, while 11 (28%) had neither. Four themes described what adolescents wished their health professionals understood about living with diabetes: diabetes stigma, diabetes management burden, diabetes is challenging for young people and impact on mental health. Five themes described the support adolescents desired from their diabetes teams: show empathy and assist with motivation; mental health support; more frequent and convenient appointments; access to, and choice of, medications and management tools; and discussions about the future. Conclusions: Most adolescents with T2D experience significant DD, impaired general emotional well‐being and/or depressive symptoms. They also have considerable unmet support needs relevant to optimising their well‐being and diabetes self‐management.