Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 6, 2026

A Method for Manipulating Blood Glucose and Measuring Resulting Changes in Cognitive Accessibility of Target Stimuli
08:01

A Method for Manipulating Blood Glucose and Measuring Resulting Changes in Cognitive Accessibility of Target Stimuli

Published on: August 12, 2016

Defining a Clinically Meaningful Cut Point for the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey-Parents of Young Children

Susana R Patton1, Nicole Kahhan2, Holly K O'Donnell3

  • 1Center for Healthcare Delivery Science, Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville, Florida, United States.

Canadian Journal of Diabetes
|July 21, 2026
PubMed

Insights

A new cut-point of 61 on the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey-Parents of Young Children (HFS-PYC) effectively identifies parents experiencing significant fear of hypoglycemia (FH). This score correlates with increased parental anxiety, diabetes distress, and higher child glucose levels.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Psychology
  • Diabetes Management

Background:

  • Parental fear of hypoglycemia (FH) is common in young children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and linked to elevated child glucose levels.
  • The Hypoglycemia Fear Survey-Parents of Young Children (HFS-PYC) is a validated tool for assessing parental FH but lacks a clinical cut-point.
  • Identifying a clinically meaningful cut-point for the HFS-PYC is crucial for targeted interventions and research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish a preliminary, clinically interpretable cut-point for the HFS-PYC.
  • To determine if this cut-point associates with increased parental anxiety, diabetes distress, and specific child glycemic metrics.
  • To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of potential cut-points.

Main Methods:

  • 180 parents of children with T1D completed the HFS-PYC, PROMIS-Anxiety (PROMIS-A), and Problem Areas in Diabetes Parent-Revised (PAID-PR).
  • Candidate cut-points were derived using modal score distribution, mean + one standard deviation, and an elevated-item rule.
  • Groups were compared based on HFS-PYC scores relative to cut-points for anxiety, distress, and child glycemic control, with diagnostic accuracy calculated against a reference standard.

Main Results:

  • Candidate cut-points included ≥61 (Mode) and ≥77 (SD).
  • The Mode cut-point (≥61) demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity=0.77, specificity=0.57) and differentiated parents on anxiety, distress, and some glycemic metrics.
  • A score of ≥61 on the HFS-PYC identified parents with significantly higher anxiety and diabetes distress compared to those below the cut-point.

Conclusions:

  • A preliminary HFS-PYC total score of ≥61 is proposed as a clinically useful cut-point.
  • This cut-point effectively identifies parents experiencing heightened anxiety and diabetes distress, and children with elevated glycemic metrics.
  • The ≥61 cut-point offers a practical tool for clinical screening and future research in parental fear of hypoglycemia in T1D.
Abstract

Keywords:
cut pointdiabète de type 1dépistagehypoglycemia fearparentspeur de l’hypoglycémiescreeningseuil décisionneltype 1 diabetes

Related Concept Videos

Hypoglycemia01:26

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is a blood glucose level below 70 mg/dL. It commonly occurs in individuals using insulin or insulin-secreting drugs, but may also arise in non-diabetic conditions. People with type 1 diabetes are at the highest risk because they depend on exogenous insulin. People with type 2 diabetes are also at risk, especially when treated with insulin or medications such as sulfonylureas, which increase insulin release regardless of blood glucose levels. It develops when insulin levels exceed...
Hypoglycemia and Glucagon01:15

Hypoglycemia and Glucagon

Without prolonged fasting, healthy individuals maintain blood glucose levels above 3.5 mM due to a well-adapted neuroendocrine counterregulatory system that effectively prevents acute hypoglycemia, a potentially life-threatening condition. The primary clinical scenarios for hypoglycemia encompass diabetes treatment, inappropriate production of endogenous insulin or insulin-like substances by tumors, and the use of glucose-lowering agents in non-diabetic individuals. Notably, hypoglycemia in the...
SBAR II: Application of SBAR01:14

SBAR II: Application of SBAR

SBAR is an effective communication tool used by healthcare professionals to communicate patient information accurately. SBAR stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation. For a better understanding, an example is given below.
SBAR Report from a Nurse to a Health Care Provider
S: "Hello, Dr. Smith. This is Jane, RN, from the Med Surg unit. I am calling to tell you about Ms. White in Room 210, who is experiencing increased pain and redness at her incision site. Her recent...
Hyperglycemia01:29

Hyperglycemia

Hyperglycemia is an abnormally high blood glucose level. It is diagnosed by fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (or OGTT) ≥200 mg/dL, random glucose ≥200 mg/dL with symptoms, or HbA1c ≥6.5%. However, HbA1c results may be unreliable in certain conditions, such as anemia or hemoglobinopathies, and the diagnosis should be confirmed unless classic symptoms are present. Postprandial hyperglycemia is typically considered significant when glucose levels exceed 180 mg/dL two...