# Communication and Coping: Addressing Mothers' Needs to Improve Outcomes in Adolescents with T1D

> **NIH NIH R01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $414,961

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Mothers of adolescents with type 1 diabetes experience high levels of depressive symptoms, which impair their
ability to monitor and manage diabetes treatment effectively. Given that adolescents are a high-risk population
for suboptimal glycemic control – with only 17% meeting treatment goals - there is a critical need for novel
interventions to improve outcomes in adolescents with T1D. Yet, previous behavioral interventions for youth
with diabetes have not directly targeted maternal depressive symptoms. Building on effective interventions to
treat depression in adults, and our own pilot work in this population, the proposed study will use a rigorous
approach to evaluate the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for mothers of adolescents with type 1
diabetes to promote the use of adaptive coping strategies and positive parenting practices. Results from our
pilot study indicated significant intervention effects on adolescents’ quality of life and depressive symptoms. In
addition, adolescents whose mothers received the intervention demonstrated promising improvements in
glycemic control, and we found support for the effect of the intervention on mediating variables, with large
effects on maternal depressive symptoms and family conflict. The revised aims of this study are to: 1) evaluate
the effects of the Communication & Coping intervention on diabetes-related outcomes; 2) evaluate the effects
of the Communication & Coping intervention on psychosocial outcomes; and 3) explore the differential impact
of the intervention across demographic factors. Mothers who are randomized to the Communication & Coping
Intervention will receive individual cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions by phone, as well as access to a
Facebook group to augment the material covered in calls and provide social support. Mothers randomized to
the Attention Control condition will receive educational materials and phone check-ins, as well as a Facebook
group with educational posts. Adolescents and their mothers will be assessed at baseline and again post-
intervention, at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. We hypothesize that the adolescents of mothers who
receive the intervention will demonstrate improvements in diabetes outcomes (i.e., glycemic control,
adherence), as well as psychosocial outcomes (i.e., improved quality of life, fewer depressive symptoms)
compared to those in the attention control condition. This approach is innovative by targeting maternal
depressive symptoms and the quality of parental involvement in mothers of adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
Responding to the American Diabetes Association’s call to address the psychosocial needs of people with
diabetes and their family members, the proposed project has the potential to improve outcomes in both
adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their mothers.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9980398
- **Project number:** 5R01DK115545-03
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah S Jaser
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $414,961
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-18 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9980398

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9980398, Communication and Coping: Addressing Mothers' Needs to Improve Outcomes in Adolescents with T1D (5R01DK115545-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9980398. Licensed CC0.

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