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Outpatient clinic‐wide psychological screening for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Qatar: An initiative for integrative healthcare in the Gulf region
Author(s) -
Vlahou Christina H.,
Petrovski Goran,
Korayem Mona,
Al Khalaf Fawziya,
El Awwa Ahmed,
Mahmood Omar M.,
Azeem Muhammed Waqar
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
pediatric diabetes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.678
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1399-5448
pISSN - 1399-543X
DOI - 10.1111/pedi.13200
Subject(s) - medicine , anxiety , type 1 diabetes , type 2 diabetes , quality of life (healthcare) , clinical psychology , mental health , psychiatry , depression (economics) , feeling , mood , patient health questionnaire , diabetes mellitus , depressive symptoms , psychology , social psychology , nursing , economics , macroeconomics , endocrinology
Objective To identify culturally appropriate psychological screening measures for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Qatar, determine rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms in a clinical sample, and examine associations between screening measures, demographic variables, medical characteristics, and diabetes treatment outcomes, specifically HbA1c. Methods A total of 150 participants with type 1 diabetes aged 10–17 were recruited. Participants were Arabic or English speaking and of Qatari and non‐Qatari nationality. Participants completed the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (child and parent proxy form), the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, and the Pediatric Quality of Life, Diabetes version (child and parent proxy form). Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) on the date of the testing was recorded. Results Approximately ten percent (10.2%) of children and adolescents scored above the cutoff score of 27 indicating clinically significant depressive symptoms, and 12.8% of parents rated their child above the respective cutoff score of 21 for the parent proxy form. Further, 36% of the sample reported clinically significant anxiety symptoms, scoring above the cutoff score of 50. Parent report on their child's quality of life predicted HbA1c ( F [6, 140] = 5.42, p = 0.000); B = −0.05, p = 0.002). Conclusions Rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms are comparable to those observed in western countries. Thus, systematic screening for depression and anxiety in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes should be implemented in Qatar. This will help inform decisions to refer to mental health services and thus provide more integrated care, possibly improving treatment outcomes.