Mood and sleep in young adults with type 1 diabetes

Depression is associated with sleep problems, and both are associated with higher HbA1c in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, little is known about depressed mood and sleep in young adults with T1D. The aims of this secondary analysis were to provide descriptive statistics of multiple aspects of mood and sleep in young adults with T1D and evaluate associations of depressed mood, diabetes distress, and sleep quality and duration.

At baseline of a behavioral intervention trial, young adults with T1D completed self-report measures of sleep, diabetes distress, and depressive symptoms. We described sleep metrics across racial/ethnic groups and conducted hierarchical regression models to evaluate associations of depressive symptoms and diabetes distress with sleep quality and duration, adjusting for demographic and clinical factors.

Participants (n = 100) were 58% female, 12% Black/African American, 25% Hispanic/Latine, 54% non-Hispanic White, 9% multiple or another race/ethnicity, and 34% had public or no insurance. Mean HbA1c was 8.8 ± 2.0%. Approximately one-fifth of participants reported elevated depressive symptoms (19%) or high diabetes distress (20%), 27% reported poor sleep quality, and 28% reported <7 hr of sleep per night. Both regression models were significant, with diabetes distress but not depressive symptoms significantly associated with sleep quality (β = .38, p = .003) and duration (β = .32, p = .016) after controlling for other variables.

As diabetes-specific mood may be particularly relevant for sleep among young adults with T1D, routine screening and behavioral support for sleep health and diabetes distress may be warranted.