Parent report and direct observation of injection-related coping behaviors in youth with type 1 diabetes

Objective: This study evaluated insulin injection coping by parental report and video observation in children 3 to <11 years old with diabetes. Methods: Caregivers of 61 youth with type 1 diabetes completed the Diabetes Injection Distress - Parent Report Form (DID-PRF); a subsample (n=19; 30%) submitted video recordings of their children's insulin injections. Results: The DID-PRF demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and moderately correlated with video recordings. Half of parents (n=31; 51%) reported their child's history of insulin injection distress; 30% reportedly experienced distress ≥1 year after diagnosis. Current distress was reported for about half (n=28) of children. More parent and child coping/distress behaviors was associated with younger child age. Children displayed more injection distress in their first month after diagnosis versus the most recent month. Conclusions: Diabetes-related injection distress and associated coping behaviors should be further explored; longitudinal data and additional measurement development is warranted.