Psychosocial factors and the onset of type 1 diabetes

Stress has been proposed as a possible precipitating factor for the development of Type 1 diabetes in genetically susceptible individuals. A validated in-depth psychometric instrument (The Life Events and Difficulties Schedule) was used to investigate the role of psychosocial factors in the onset of Type 1 diabetes in islet cell antibody (ICA)-positive family members. Families with ICA-positive members had higher scores for subject focused severe life events in the 5-year period prior to the diagnosis of diabetes in a second family member compared with matched control families (1.50 +/- 0.68 (+/- SD) vs 0.32 +/- 0.37; p less than 0.03). In the same time period, these families also experienced a higher mean number of severe long-term difficulties compared with control families (1.34 +/- 0.52 vs 0.14 +/- 0.17; p less than 0.01). Scores for current total visual social contacts were greater for control families compared with case family members (12.10 +/- 1.90 vs 9.64 +/- 2.70; p less than 0.05). These results suggest that global family stress possibly in conjunction with a reduced number of social contacts may act as a trigger for the development of diabetes in a second family member and that social support may act as a buffer to stress and disease onset.