title: Psychological treatment improves hemoglobin A1c outcomes in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: Adolescents diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus often exhibit reduced adherence to their medical regimen and poor glycemic control. A retrospective study examined longitudinal hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c) outcomes for adolescent patients referred to the psychology service embedded within an endocrinology clinic. Three patient groups were examined: (1) TREATMENT: 59 adolescents referred who engaged in psychotherapy; (2) No
  
  
  METHODS
  40 adolescents referred yet failed to initiate psychotherapy; (3) CONTROL: 58 adolescents not referred for treatment and matched on demographics to the two treatment groups. Over 1 year, the TREATMENT group had a sustained decrease in HgbA1c while the No TREATMENT and CONTROL groups had an overall increase in HgbA1c. At study end, the TREATMENT group had HgbA1c values that were not significantly different from patients who were not considered in need of psychological treatment (CONTROL). Adolescents that utilized the pediatric psychology service saw decreased HgbA1c values over time.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Richmond, 1101 East Marshall Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. mbitsko@mcvh-vcu.edu
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bitsko
authors.forename: Melanie K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Bean
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bart
authors.forename: Rebecca H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Leroy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thacker
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Francis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014768:Virginia
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin