The psychosocial self-efficacy in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
Anne Survonen, Sanna Salanterä, Kirsti Näntö-Salonen and 2 others
PMID 30918702WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with type 1 diabetes reported good psychosocial self-efficacy, but this did not correlate with their blood sugar control.
Self-efficacy was linked to how well they understood their condition and how comfortable they felt asking their nurse or doctor questions.
Key findings
01Psychosocial self-efficacy showed no statistically significant association with metabolic control (HbA1c) or background variables like age and diabetes duration.
02Self-efficacy scores were positively correlated with adolescents' self-rated understanding of diabetes, their ability to fit diabetes into life, and the quality of their relationship with their doctor and nurse.
03The mean HbA1c for the sample was 8.5%, with only one fifth of adolescents achieving good metabolic control, despite reporting high self-efficacy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The response rate was low (34%), and the sample was small (n=65), limiting generalisability. The sample contained slightly more girls than boys, which contradicted the local gender distribution of adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. The study used a cross-sectional design, so it cannot determine causality between self-efficacy and outcomes. The Fin-DES-28 was originally developed for adults, and its sensitivity in adolescents may be limited.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the Finnish Diabetes Association and the University of Turku.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the adolescents' high self-efficacy scores as evidence that they are successfully managing their diabetes or achieving good metabolic control. The study found no link between self-efficacy and HbA1c, and the majority of participants had poor or moderate control.