Introduction and Objective: Few psychosocial interventions exist for families in the first year after a T1D diagnosis. Initial findings from the Triple T pilot, a telehealth intervention designed to support family coping during this first year are reported.Methods: Inclusion criteria: child with a new diagnosis of T1D and fluency in English. Families participated in 6 telehealth visits (1, 2, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12 months post-diagnosis) focused on supporting healthy coping and had access to a video library addressing common concerns (e.g., diagnosis disclosure, managing activities, school). Descriptive analyses of psychosocial outcomes and qualitative analyses of exit interviews are reported.Results: Thirty-one youth aged 2-17 (M=9.03; SD=4.6) and their caregivers participated. Youth were 54.8% female and identified as White (71%), Hispanic or Latinx (12.9%), Black (9.7%), or multi-racial (6.5%). The majority (77.4%) of caregivers were mothers. One-third (35.5%) of families reported an annual household income of < $100,000. At baseline, many parents reported elevated levels of depression (38.7%) and anxiety (36.7%); however, fewer reported elevated symptoms at 12 months (24%). At 12 months, some youth (21.4%) and parents (13%) reported elevations in diabetes distress and no youth, but some parents (20%), reported elevated family conflict. Participants reported Triple T was helpful, providing emotional support and validation as they adjusted to life with T1D and provided resources to answer difficult questions, helped them not feel alone, built skills to help their children when they were struggling, and reduced distress. Parents and teens reported improved communication and increased understanding of each other’s experiences.Conclusion: Findings from this pilot suggest that families perceived multiple benefits from participating in Triple T. Compared to previous studies, rates of elevation in psychosocial challenges were lower.
K.R. Howard: Stock/Shareholder; Abbott, AbbVie Inc. Other Relationship; Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists. K.P. Garza: None. N.W. Smith: None. M.C. Suhs: None. J.S. Merrick: None. J. Weissberg-Benchell: None. M. Feldman: None.
Breakthrough T1D (2-SRA-2020-985-S-B)
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