Lean on me: Social factors and diabetes outcomes among young adults with type 1 diabetes prior to transitioning to adult care

Authors

Caroline M. Roberts, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Samantha A. Carreon, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Charles G. Minard, Baylor College of Medicine, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Houston, Texas, USA.
Sarah K. Lyons, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Randi Streisand, Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
Barbara J. Anderson, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Tricia S. Tang, Division of Endocrinology, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada.
Siripoom McKay, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Katherine Gallagher, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Sridevi Devaraj, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Marisa E. Hilliard, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1-18-2026

Journal

Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association

DOI

10.1111/dme.70205

Keywords

self‐management; social support; type 1 diabetes

Abstract

AIMS: Little is known about how different aspects of social relationships relate to diabetes self-management and glycaemic outcomes in young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). We examined relationships of general and diabetes-specific social variables with diabetes self-management and HbA1c. We hypothesized diabetes-specific factors would more strongly associate with self-management and HbA1c than general social factors. METHODS: We analysed baseline data from 100 young adults with T1D (M = 19.9 ± 1.3 years) enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of a paediatric to adult care transition intervention. We examined associations of self-reported general and diabetes-specific social factors with self-reported self-management behaviours and HbA1c in 4 separate multiple regression models. Models controlled for demographic and medical variables with significant bivariate correlations. RESULTS: In the general social factor models, the only significant predictor of self-management behaviours was general emotional support (Β = 0.208); there were no significant predictors associated with HbA1c. In the diabetes-specific social factor models, getting help with diabetes (Β = 0.37) and pandemic-related diabetes support (Β = -0.33) significantly predicted self-management behaviours and getting help with diabetes (Β = -0.26) and diabetes disclosure/social support (Β = 0.24) significantly predicted HbA1c. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes-specific social support is important for medical and behavioural diabetes outcomes in young adults with T1D during this transitional period. Preparation for transfer may benefit from assisting young adults in seeking direct help with diabetes management from family and friends. More research is needed on how to help young adults acquire practical diabetes support to enhance clinical care.

APA Citation

Roberts, Caroline M.; Carreon, Samantha A.; Minard, Charles G.; Lyons, Sarah K.; Streisand, Randi; Anderson, Barbara J.; Tang, Tricia S.; McKay, Siripoom; Gallagher, Katherine; Devaraj, Sridevi; and Hilliard, Marisa E., "Lean on me: Social factors and diabetes outcomes among young adults with type 1 diabetes prior to transitioning to adult care" (2026). GW Authored Works. Paper 8553.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/8553

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences