PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS, COPING AND METABOLIC CONTROL IN ADULT WITH INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS

  • 1 August 1990
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 40  (8) , 299-306
Abstract
In accordance with previous research investigating adult insulin-dependent diabetics the present study supports evidence for a weak correlation between psychosocial stress and metabolic control (HbA1c). This relation, however, is becoming more substantial, if specific patterns of stress-reactions are taken into account. This is especially the case for a pattern represented by a short form of the SVF-subscale "emotional irritability" (Janke et al., 1984), and even better by the (inversely scored) FPI-K-scale "calmness" (Fahrenberg et al., 1978). Contrary to our expectations a high amount of emotional irritability was leading to a more favorable metabolic control, especially in the case of high psychosocial stress. It is suggested that positive attention-directed and motivating functions of emotional stress-reactions may in the long run compensate or even exceed their short-lived debilitating metabolic effects.