Visual Abstract
Introduction: Parents of youth with T1D have poorer sleep due to T1D management and worries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, managing T1D may be more demanding and new stressors and routines can impact sleep. We compared parental sleep pre-pandemic to the initial months of the pandemic.
Methods: Parents (n=100, 98% mothers) of youth with T1D (M age = 6.7±1.6 yrs, M duration = 2.9±.5 yrs) who were in a behavioral RCT completed surveys at RCT completion and ≥ 6 months later in June/July 2020. They completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) adapted to include T1D-related sleep questions, and 2 sleep items from a COVID-19 survey. M A1c at RCT completion = 8.2±1.4. We compared pre-pandemic vs. 2020 data using χ2 and t tests.
Results: Many parents (40%) reported moderate-extreme difficulty sleeping during the pandemic. From pre- to during the pandemic, PSQI Latency scores increased significantly and Duration and Daytime Dysfunction decreased. More parents had PSQI Global Scores above the clinical cut-off during the pandemic. See Table for details.
Conclusions: Parents of children with T1D experienced increased sleep challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite lower T1D-related disruption and daytime impairment. Nighttime T1D management may have been less disruptive as parents slept less. Parental sleep warrants clinical attention as it impacts psychosocial well-being and T1D management for families.
S. A. Carreon: None. M. E. Hilliard: None. I. Al-gadi: None. K. Rooney: None. C. H. Wang: None. C. Tully: None. J. N. Jones: None. K. A. Gallagher: None. M. Monaghan: None. R. Streisand: None.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (1R01DK102561)
