The Impact of Diabetes Education Modality and Diabetes Type on Psychosocial Outcomes in Young Adults with Diabetes

A four lesson diabetes curriculum and two discussion sessions, focusing on diabetes self-management (diet, medication, physical activity) were delivered via two educational modalities: 1) Traditional Face-to-Face (FTF) Classes and 2) Virtual Diabetes Education (VDE) Classes administered in the Second Life® virtual world. The purpose of the study was to 1) describe the psychosocial outcomes in young adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and 2) determine whether two types of educational modalities (FTF or VDE) impacted the psychosocial outcomes of young adults with diabetes. A convenience sample of young adults with diabetes (N=81), 18 to 28 years-old, completed pre and post psychosocial surveys that measured levels of depression, self-efficacy, and social support. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance identified differences in psychosocial outcomes. Overall, 29.9% of young adult participants reported depressive symptoms at the beginning of the study, and those with type 2 diabetes had higher rates of depressive symptoms (44.4%) than participants with type 1 diabetes (26.6%). Individuals with type 1 diabetes had a higher level of self-efficacy (p=.000) and more social support (p=.03) than their peers with type 2 diabetes. No statistically significant differences were apparent among type 1 and type 2 diabetes groups at post study measures. Face-to-Face participants had significantly greater (p=.02) gains in levels of diabetes self-efficacy. Participants in the FTF condition improved mean diabetes self-efficacy scores and participants in the VDE condition decreased mean diabetes self-efficacy scores. Session attendance was higher in the FTF condition (x=3.72, SD=2.23) than among participants assigned to the VDE condition (x=1.79, SD=1.82). Education and support programs should address differences in psychosocial outcomes based on both diabetes type and educational modality.