Assessing fear of hypoglycemia in children with Type 1 diabetes and their parents

Abstract

SUMMARY This article summarizes the literature on fear of hypoglycemia in pediatric Type 1 diabetes and the assessment of this fear in both children with Type 1 diabetes and their parents. The most common instrument for assessing fear of hypoglycemia in this population is the children’s and parent’s versions of the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey (HFS), although studies using other assessment measures are also reviewed. Studies using this survey have identified variables contributing to fear of hypoglycemia in children with Type 1 diabetes and their parents, such as history of frequent or traumatic hypoglycemia, as well as trait anxiety. In addition to this summary of the literature, new data are presented supporting the reliability of hypoglycemic fear assessment in younger children and comparing fear of hypoglycemia in children in different age groups (6–18 years old) and their parents. Also reviewed are studies investigating the relationship between fear of hypoglycemia and diabetes control, which have yielded inconsistent results. Given the potential importance of fear of hypoglycemia in pediatric diabetes, there has been limited research in this area.

Mindfulness and fear of hypoglycaemia in parents of children with Type 1 diabetes: results from Diabetes MILES Youth – The Netherlands

“…In contrast to a previous study 5, but consistent with several other studies 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, HbA 1c was not related to parental fear of hypoglycaemia. HbA 1c was assessed by parental report, and therefore may not be reliable.…”

“…Most of these studies had small sample sizes ( N ≤200) 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and did not investigate demographic and clinical characteristics simultaneously 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, limiting the exploration of independent effects. In addition, the associations between parent demographic characteristics (e.g.…”

Fear of hypoglycaemia in patients with type 1 diabetes

“…Физическая активность также может быть не-предсказуема. Наиболее распространенной причиной гипогликемии у пациентов молодого возраста явля-ется физическая активность, но, к сожалению, некото-рые пациенты и их родители пытаются уменьшить этот риск чрезмерным потреблением углеводов до, во время и после тренировки [20,21].…”

Objectives and methods of the ORCHESTRA FOUNDATION Registry study: a multicenter observational study of the use of insulin pump therapy in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes mellitus in Poland.

“…The recent INTERPRET study, the largest and longest multicenter prospective study to date, has confirmed the effectiveness of CGM in pump users; data from 263 patients using SAP therapy under real-life conditions over 12 months revealed significantly lower rates of hospitalization, greater treatment satisfaction, and reduced fear of hypoglycemia compared to CGM nonusers [31]. Other studies have also shown that the use of CGM and related features such as alarms and automatic insulin suspension (i.e., low glucose suspension [LGS]) reduces fear of hypoglycemia, the incidence of severe hypoglycemic events, and time spent in hypoglycemia [32][33][34][35]. More importantly, the use of the LGS feature does not result in rebound hyperglycemia [33].…”