Barriers to Type 1 Diabetes Adherence in Adolescents

• Published in: Journal of clinical medicine Vol. 13; no. 19; p. 5669
• Main Authors: Azar, Sarah, Maroun Abou Jaoude, Noa, Kędzia, Andrzej, Niechciał, Elżbieta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 24-09-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Anxiety; Behavior disorders; Carbohydrates; Case studies; Children & youth; Chronic illnesses; Comorbidity; Demographic aspects; Diabetes; Diabetes therapy; Drug therapy; Eating disorders; Families & family life; Glucose monitoring; Health aspects; Hypoglycemia; Insulin resistance; Management; Mental disorders; Mental health; Patient compliance; Pediatric research; Pediatrics; Puberty; Quality of life; Review; Social aspects; Teenagers; Type 1 diabetes; Youth; Poland; treatment; type 1 diabetes; barriers; adolescents; adherence; compliance; puberty; diabetes technology; regimen; psychological aspects
• ISSN: 2077-0383; 2077-0383
• DOI: 10.3390/jcm13195669

Adolescence is a particularly crucial period of physical, emotional, and social development and adaptation, rendering these formative years rather challenging for individuals with chronic conditions like type 1 diabetes (T1D). Despite rapid improvement in diabetes therapies, adolescents with T1D are characterized by poorer adherence to treatment regimens compared with other pediatric age groups. Insufficient adherence is strongly related to low diabetes control, increasing morbidity, and risk for premature mortality. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of adolescents' most common barriers to T1D adherence, stressing the need for a deep and comprehensive understanding of these barriers. The complexity of these barriers is underscored by the diverse factors contributing to poor T1D adherence in adolescents.
A narrative review was conducted, surveying four databases (PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science) for full-text articles in the English language published up to June 2024. All studies related to barriers to T1D adherence in adolescents were considered. The literature was selected using selection and exclusion criteria and extracted and organized using Mendeley. Exclusion criteria included studies with insufficient data and non-peer-reviewed articles. This review revealed that adolescents face numerous obstacles to T1D adherence related to psychological factors, flux in family dynamics, perceived social pressures, therapy-related factors, transitioning responsibility, risk-taking behaviors, and pubertal changes.
Navigating the adaptations to the different aspects of T1D, from treatment to complications and adolescents' personal growth, effectively requires a thorough understanding of the barriers of a treatment regimen that patients at this critical age face.