Research Review: An Evaluation for the Improvement of Psychological Input in the Counties Manukau Young Adults with Diabetes Service

This summer, I completed a research project as a health psychology student working with the Young Adults with Diabetes Service (YADS) at Counties Manukau. I am about to begin my internship year as a health psychologist, and I was motivated to be involved in this project because I have always been interested in working with young people and supporting those living with long-term health conditions. This project gave me the opportunity to contribute to meaningful clinical work while continuing to develop my research skills.

YADS is a multidisciplinary team made up of endocrinologists, diabetes nurse specialists, dietitians, and health psychologists who work together to support young people living with diabetes. Managing diabetes every day can be demanding, particularly during adolescence and early adulthood. As young people move from children to adult health services, they are expected to take on more responsibility for their care, which can increase emotional distress. When stress or low mood is not recognised, it can make diabetes harder to manage and affect long-term health. In Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika young people are disproportionately affected by both diabetes-related distress and poorer health outcomes. Although guidelines recommend regularly checking emotional wellbeing during diabetes appointments, this does not always happen consistently.

The goal of this project was to understand how effectively YADS identifies young people who may need psychological support, and whether referral pathways to a health psychologist are working well.

Over four weeks, young people attending clinic were invited to complete two short questionnaires about mood and diabetes-related stress. Seventeen young people took part. Seven participants showed signs of clinically significant depression or diabetes distress. Most of these young people had received some form of psychological support, either through YADS or external services. However, one young person with significant distress had not accessed any psychological support. These findings highlight the importance of continuing to review how emotional wellbeing is identified within this diabetes services, to reduce the risk of young people who need support being overlooked.

A personal highlight of this experience was meeting young people in the clinic waiting room and having the opportunity to speak with them. I also valued learning how a multidisciplinary diabetes service operates and working alongside health psychologists, gaining insight into their role within the team as I prepare to begin my internship year.

Lauren Price

Intern Health Psychologist

University of Auckland

Sponsors: NZSSD (New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes) and DNZRF (Diabetes New Zealand Research Foundation)