Does self-stigma impact blood glucose control in people with type 1 diabetes?

There has been an increase in research on diabetes-related stigma and its association with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) over the past years. However, little is known about the association of self-stigma with HbA1c in persons with type 1 diabetes.

Individuals with chronic medical conditions may experience self-stigma, or negative beliefs, emotional reactions, and behaviors towards themselves as a result of their illness.

Researchers have found a link between self-stigma and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)-a marker of blood sugar levels-in adults with type 1 diabetes.

The iresearch has been published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.

The study included 109 adults in Japan with type 1 diabetes who completed questionnaires that generated scores based on a self-stigma scale. Although the findings support a link between self-stigma and sub-optimal HbA1c, additional studies are needed to show whether this is a causal relationship.

“We focused on this issue through clinical experiences with people with type 1 diabetes, whose glycemic management improved markedly by social supports of eliminating diabetes-related stigma. Although the finding of an association between self-stigma and HbA1c is significant, further longitudinal research is required to determine whether self-stigma leads to sub-optimal HbA1c,” said corresponding author Yukiko Onishi MD, PhD, of the Institute of Medical Science, Asahi Life Foundation, in Tokyo. “This research does support and highlight the importance of eliminating self-stigma when treating people with type 1 diabetes.”

The researchers concluded that self-stigma is associated with HbA1c among adults with type 1 diabetes. Our study suggests that treatment of diabetes should be provided to persons with type 1 diabetes with considerations that HbA1c is associated with self-stigma.Addressing self-stigma might be as equally essential as measuring HbA1c in evaluating glycemic outcome among individuals with type 1 diabetes.

Reference:

Shoko Hamano, Yukiko Onishi, Yoko Yoshida, Toshiko Takao, Tazu Tahara, Takako Kikuchi, Toshiko Kobori, Tetsuya Kubota, Masahiko Iwamoto, Masato Kasuga published: 25 January 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/jdi.13963