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Home > News & events > News > Coping with Diabetes: a new emotional support tool for young people with type 1
Coping with Diabetes, available on the DigiBete app, uses real-life stories, animations and interactive activities to help prevent and reduce diabetes distress and burnout for young people aged 10 – 14.
Caring for type 1 diabetes can be tough for young people on top of everything else that life brings.
Up to two-thirds of young people with type 1 experience feeling overwhelmed or frustrated with the condition and this can make it harder to care for. Known as diabetes distress, this can have a direct impact on young people’s mental and physical health.
Coping with Diabetes aims to help children and young people change their relationship with type 1. By completing interactive activities, hearing about the experience of others and learning about type 1, they will build their knowledge, feel comfortable talking about type 1 and improve their self-esteem.
Jaiya, aged 16 and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes aged 7, helped develop the tool. She said: “I think it’s really important to have wellbeing resources while having diabetes because diabetes is a condition for life and I think at any point it can get to be too much. I think these diabetes resources will help me because it’s something to refer to and access when I’m struggling to cope with diabetes.”
Designed to be used as an early intervention psychological tool available within all paediatric clinics, Coping with Diabetes has been developed by young people with type 1 and paediatric clinical psychologists from across the country, marrying lived experience with clinical expertise. To ensure the content is appropriate, accurate and reliable, it has been approved by clinicians working in the field of type 1 and psychology.
JDRF’s Director of Policy and Communications, Hilary Nathan said: “Growing up into the teenage years can be really tough when you are learning how to become independent and confident in managing type 1 diabetes. We know good mental health is crucial for children and young people living with type 1. That’s why JDRF and DigiBete have joined forces to develop this range of interactive information and support, available on the DigiBete App, to support children in the way that they have told us would be most useful, with resources co-designed with young people and paediatric diabetes psychologists.
Maddie Julian, co-founder of DigiBete said: This vital piece of work is founded from a real need articulated by young people who often struggle with the complexities of living with type 1 diabetes. The young people supporting the co-design highlighted all the extra decisions and the burden of constantly educating others and how this can feel relentless and at times isolating. This tool provides very practical emotional support with strategies that are specifically targeted for young people living with diabetes.”
The development of Coping with Diabetes has been funded by a long-standing donor to JDRF, who has seen first-hand the debilitating impact that type 1 can have on a young person’s mental health.
The platform is available through the Digibete app, which provides digital information and support directly to children and their families in England, Wales and Scotland (work is underway to extend availability to Northern Ireland). The app is used by over 80% of families and young people in England and Wales recommended by 90% of NHS paediatric diabetes clinics.
To use the app, families should speak to their Diabetes Healthcare Team who can give you a login.
If your child is aged between 10-14 or you are aged 13-14 and already use the Digibete app, follow these steps to access the Coping with Diabetes tool:
For more information visit Digibete website or contact app@digibete.org
Coping with Diabetes will be expanded with tailored content and design for older age groups over the next year. Watch this space!
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