Psychological distress in Aotearoa New Zealand adults with type 1 diabetes

The psychological burden of type 1 diabetes (T1D) can negatively impact health outcomes. This study evaluates the prevalence of low mood (WHO-5), disordered eating (DEPS-R), diabetes distress (PAID) and fear of hypoglycaemia (HFS-II), in a sample of 250 New Zealand adults (8.4% Māori/91.6% non-Māori; 43.6% female/56.4% male) with T1D using validated tools. Māori and female patients indicated low mood, with lower median WHO-5 scores than non-Māori (<i>p</i> = 0.027) and males (<i>p</i> = 0.002). Māori were more likely to score in the clinical range on the WHO-5, DEPS-R, PAID and HFS-II (all <i>p</i> < 0.05). HbA1c was correlated with emotional well-being (<i>r_s</i> = -0.189), diabetes distress (<i>r_s</i> = 0.223) and disordered eating (<i>r_s</i> = 0.389; all <i>p</i> < 0.001) whilst DEPS-R correlated with age (<i>r_s</i> = -0.232) and BMI (<i>r_s</i> = 0.343; both <i>p</i> ≤ 0.001). Thus, diabetes-related psychological distress is common in New Zealand adults with T1D, particularly for Māori, females and those with elevated HbA1c levels.