Evaluation of the possible impact of the fear of hypoglycaemia on diabetes management in children and adolescents with type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and their parents - A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Hypoglycaemia represents a significant source of anxiety for children with type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and their caretakers. Fear of hypoglycaemia (FoH) was measured in children and adolescents with T1DM as well as in their parents, using an established research instrument, the Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey (HFS). Methods This is a two-centre cross-sectional study involving 100 children and adolescents aged 6–18 years old, diagnosed with T1DM. One parent of each child also participated in the study. The participants, who were recruited from two different Paediatric Endocrine Outpatient Clinics, were asked to complete the translated Greek version of the HFS, which includes one version for children (C-HFS) and one for parents (P-HFS). The association of the questionnaire responses with subjects’ characteristics, such as current age, age at diagnosis, duration of diabetes, HbA1c levels and mode of diabetes treatment and were assessed. Results Parents exhibited significantly higher mean HFS scores than their children. No significant correlation was found between the P-HFS or the C-HFS scores and the age of children, duration of diabetes, HbA1c or mode of treatment. Conclusion The finding that parents experience increased levels of FoH compared to their children emphasizes the importance of healthcare providers screening for parental FoH and focusing on approaches to support them, in order to reduce their psychological burden and thus optimize children’s diabetes management.