Strategy for measuring and managing stress and anxiety in stage 2 Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract

The identification of type 1 diabetes in its early stages through population-based screening programs has modified the traditional approach to the disease, incorporating attention to psychosocial needs from the presymptomatic stage.

Consensus documents recommend the systematic assessment of psychosocial well-being, family adjustment, risk understanding, and educational needs from early stages of type 1 diabetes (Haller et al., 2024; Phillip et al., 2024; Trifone et al., 2025; Hussain et al., 2026). While these recommendations do not establish specific psychometric instruments, the specialized literature supports the use of validated scales and strategies to assess anxiety, depression, diabetes-related distress, periodic risk perception assessment, quality of life, and family functioning. Communicating a positive autoantibody result can generate uncertainty, anxiety, depressive symptoms, emotional overload, and difficulties in understanding the risk, especially for caregivers. Therefore, incorporating psychological support from the time of screening is recommended to reduce stress (Haller et al., 2024; Phillip et al., 2024).

The systematic incorporation of these tools would allow the early detection of psychological vulnerability factors, guide individualized psychoeducational interventions, and strengthen family adaptation. Early-stage diagnosis can be experienced as threatening, uncontrollable, and unpredictable. In this context, the assessment of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral variables is an essential component of comprehensive follow-up in the early stages of type 1 diabetes and a priority for developing person- and family-centered care models (Phillip et al., 2024; Hussain et al., 2026). The integration of psychoeducational strategies and mental health assessment tools is an essential component for reducing the psychological impact of presymptomatic diabetes diagnosis through continuous interdisciplinary monitoring, thus promoting a healthier transition to symptomatic diabetes.