Recent life events, gender, and the control of diabetes mellitus

Sixty-six outpatients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) filled in a life event questionnaire reflecting positive and negative life events perceived to have occurred over the past year. The difference in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) measures obtained before and after the 1-year period in question (Delta-HbA1C) served as a proxy measure of change in metabolic control. Among males, those reporting predominantly negative life events showed poorer metabolic control than those reporting few negative life events or none. Among females, the greater the number of events reported, especially positive ones, the greater the change for the better in HbA1C over the event year studied. These results suggest that life events may be significant to metabolic control in insulin-dependent diabetes. This only becomes apparent, however, when the two genders are analyzed separately, as various relationships found in one sex may be lacking or even opposite to the other sex. The findings also suggest the importance to the diabetic of learning of life events both the relative lack and preponderance of positive as well as negative events.