'Help is on the Way - Psychological Support for Type 1 Diabetes'

The CDE Academy is proud to invite you to register for our next Journal Club Webinar. Each session is real-time, online and CPD-accredited.

All our topics are carefully selected to be of interest to all members of the wider interdisciplinary diabetes team.

Beyond Glucose Management

The clinical management of type 1 diabetes is often viewed through a glucocentric lens, yet growing evidence suggests that the greatest obstacles to optimal health are frequently found beyond glucose levels and technology.

For many people living with diabetes, the daily burden of self-management, fear of hypoglycaemia, treatment fatigue and psychosocial stress can become significant barriers to achieving glycaemic targets and maintaining quality of life.

In this Journal Club, we will explore two important 2025 systematic reviews that challenge us to view emotional wellbeing not as an optional consideration, but as a core component of diabetes care.

The Emotional Environment of Diabetes

The first review, by Franc et al., examines the phenomenon of persistent sub-optimal glycaemic management. The authors highlight how diabetes-specific stressors are often compounded by broader life challenges such as financial instability, unemployment and psychosocial adversity, creating barriers that traditional psychological interventions may struggle to overcome.

The second review, by Wakelin et al., shifts the focus to the family unit. This meta-analysis demonstrates a compelling intergenerational relationship between caregiver wellbeing and metabolic outcomes in children living with type 1 diabetes, showing that improvements in caregiver mental health can positively influence both HbA1c and quality of life.

Together, these studies highlight the importance of recognising the emotional and social context in which diabetes care takes place, while reinforcing the value of a multidisciplinary, family-centred approach to long-term diabetes management.

This session is not simply about understanding psychological distress—it is about identifying practical opportunities to improve clinical outcomes by supporting the emotional wellbeing of people living with diabetes and those who care for them.