Psychophysiological Correlates of Emotion Regulation in Type 1 Diabetes: A Scoping Review

Daily management of type 1 diabetes (T1D) can trigger various psychological and physiological responses, including depressive symptoms and hyperglycemia. Substantial evidence shows that emotion regulation modulates psychological and physiological experiences in the general population; yet, its role among individuals with T1D has yet to be systematically investigated. In 2024-2025, a comprehensive literature search for psychological and physiological correlates of emotion regulation among individuals with T1D was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Eight studies (with cohorts ranging from 60 to 301 patients; 69.3% women), consisting of 5 cross-sectional and 3 longitudinal studies, met the inclusion criteria. Emotion regulation was measured using either the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (n=3); the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (n=2); or subscales from the coping, executive function, and mindfulness questionnaires deemed to capture emotion regulation (n=3). Among psychological correlates, most studies assessed diabetes distress (n=5), whereas 2 assessed depressive symptoms. Overall, results indicate that greater difficulties in emotion regulation correlated with higher diabetes distress levels, whereas greater use of certain emotion regulation strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal, correlated with lower diabetes distress levels. As for physiological correlates, most studies evaluated glycated hemoglobin (A1C) (n=7) and insulin restriction (n=1). The included studies show that greater difficulties in emotion regulation correlated with higher A1C and insulin restriction levels. Taken together, we introduced a conceptual model connecting emotion regulation and psychophysiological correlates with broader sociocontextual factors. Although emotion regulation relates to psychophysiological functioning among individuals with T1D, further longitudinal research considering sociocontextual factors is warranted to confirm the directionality of effects.