A Longitudinal Examination of Hope and Optimism and Their Role in Type 1 Diabetes in Youths

Abstract

It may be beneficial to assess hope in pediatric T1DM patients to identify youths who may be at risk for poor diabetes management, and to test the benefit of hope-based intervention efforts in clinical studies.

Hope and mealtime insulin boluses are associated with depressive symptoms and glycemic control in youth with type 1 diabetes mellitus

“…Twenty‐six percent of youth in this sample also had elevated depressive symptoms, which matches recent findings that almost a third of youth with T1DM are expected to report depressive symptoms . Consistent with previous research, glycemic control was associated with adherence, depressive symptoms, and hope . Children with greater depressive symptoms demonstrated worse glycemic control, but hope and BOLUS were 2 protective factors that suggest further investigation in longitudinal samples to determine if they are mediators of the relationship between depression and HbA1c.…”

“…For instance, children with poor glycemic control may check blood glucose frequently due to frequent highs/lows without treating, while appropriate insulin dosing before meals more directly influences glycemia. Interestingly, BOLUS did not impact the cross‐sectional relationship between hope and glycemic control, although adherence as measured by BGM was found to mediate this relationship by Van Allen et al This discrepancy may be due to differences in the amount of variability in individual BOLUS scores vs BGM, and requires further research using independent samples. Alternatively, the relationship between hope and glycemic control may be better explained by factors that were not the focus of this study, such as self‐efficacy, optimism, perceived social support, parenting strategies, or general well‐being …”

“…Hope is defined as “a positive motivational state that is based on an interactively derived sense of successful agency (goal‐directed energy) and of successful pathways (planning to meet goals)” (p. 287) . In 2 previous studies, hope was significantly associated with self‐reported adherence, BGM, and HbA1c in youth . Van Allen et al further found that frequency of BGM significantly mediated the relationships between hope and adherence/glycemic control .…”

“…28 In 2 previous studies, hope was significantly associated with selfreported adherence, BGM, and HbA1c in youth. 29,30 Van Allen et al further found that frequency of BGM significantly mediated the relationships between hope and adherence/glycemic control. 30 Another study found that hope was positively associated with metabolic control and negatively associated with depression among adolescents and young adults with T1DM.…”

Opportunities for nurses to support recovery after pediatric injury: Relationships among posttraumatic stress, hope, and quality of life

“…Emerging evidence has demonstrated that increased hope may be a protective factor in QOL for those facing medical challenges (Barnum et al, ; Berg et al, ; Maikranz et al, ; Santos et al, ; Van Allen, Seegan et al, ; Van Allen, Steele et al ). However, contrary to past research, and to study hypotheses, findings indicated that hope did not significantly predict concurrent QOL in our sample.…”