A cognitive behavioral adherence intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes

This study examined the impact of a cognitive behavioral intervention for nonadherent adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Six youths having problems following the diabetes regimen received training in cognitive restructuring and problem solving during individual sessions. A multiple baseline design across participants was used. Treatment effectiveness was assessed through 24-hr recall adherence interviews with adolescents and frequency of testing data was downloaded from glucose meters. Data was also collected for diabetes-specific stress. Five youths displayed improvement on at least one self-care behavior. Furthermore, the results suggest that the cognitive behavioral intervention was effective in diminishing diabetes-related stress in two participants. Cognitive behavioral interventions show promise for increasing self-care behaviors among nonadherent youths with type 1 diabetes. However, individual youths varied in their response to treatment. Further research is needed in developing procedures to better meet the needs of youths, improve youth participation, and enhance treatment effectiveness.