Distress and Quality of Life

For past few decades, health professionals have been trying to understand the mechanism and nature of diabetes distress and quality of life. This chapter is devoted to address this underlying mechanism. A comprehensive review of empirical and theoretical literature is presented wherein the correlates of both distress and quality of life are addressed. The cyclic nature of diabetes distress and quality of life is investigated starting from diagnosis to outcomes of various types of intervention plans. Research findings indicate that among children and adolescents with diabetes, distress faced at the time of diagnosis is associated with the changes in lifestyle, adjustment to the complex treatment regimen, and the development of complications associated with diabetes. Other than diagnosis, factors like changes in the treatment regimen, change of doctor, onset of a complication, and change in healthcare plan are commonly associated with diabetes distress. The review also incorporates demographic and psychosocial correlates. We describe a comprehensive conceptual model of care addressing the role of empirically investigated correlates of diabetes distress and quality of life in children and adolescents with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It is recommended that tailored interventions addressing any of the common correlates of distress and quality of life should be carefully evaluated and prioritized based on their commonality in the underlying mechanisms of distress and quality of life. Considering the model of care, directions for future research are presented.