Predictors of mood, diabetes-specific and COVID-19-specific experiences among parents of early school-age children with type 1 diabetes during initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective The current study explored pre-pandemic sociodemographics, medical characteristics, social/family support, and mood symptoms, and current COVID-19 experiences as predictors of mood, positive/negative diabetes-specific experiences, and COVID-19-specific distress among parents of children with type 1 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that parents from marginalized backgrounds, youth with higher pre-pandemic A1c and no CGM use, parents with lower pre-pandemic social/family support and more pre-pandemic mood/anxiety symptoms, and those with more negative COVID-19 experiences would have more depressive symptoms, fewer positive and more negative diabetes-specific experiences, and more COVID-19-specific distress during the initial months of the pandemic. Research Design and Methods Participants were parents of early school-age children with type 1 diabetes (n = 100; 65% non-Hispanic, white, 92% mothers, 75% married; M-child age = 6.74 +/- 1.59 years) who had completed a behavioral intervention trial >= 6 months ago and were re-contacted in June/July 2020 to report on their COVID-19 pandemic experiences and parent psychosocial outcomes. Pre-pandemic parent mood/anxiety symptoms, family/social support, and children's medical characteristics (CGM use; M-A1C = 8.17% +/- 1.40%) were assessed M = 1.45 +/- 0.59 years prior. Results More pre-pandemic social support predicted fewer depressive symptoms, more positive diabetes-specific experiences, and less COVID-19-specific distress during the pandemic. More pre-pandemic depressive symptoms predicted more depressive symptoms during the pandemic. More life disruptions due to the pandemic were associated with more negative diabetes-specific experiences and more COVID-19-specific distress. Parents of color had more negative diabetes-specific experiences. Conclusions Social support may be particularly important to assess and address through intervention. Pediatric diabetes care providers should monitor parent experiences in relation to children's diabetes management. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02527525.

Automated summary

This study found that higher pre-pandemic social support predicted fewer depressive symptoms, more positive diabetes-specific experiences, and less COVID-19-specific distress during the pandemic. Heavier pre-pandemic depressive symptoms predicted more depressive symptoms during the pandemic. More life disruptions due to the pandemic were associated with more negative diabetes-specific experiences and more COVID-19-specific distress.