Psychosocial Impact Of Type 1 Diabetes On Young Adults In UK: A Review

Statement of Findings

The review has found out that type 1 diabetes leading to increasing levels of hypoglycaemia can contribute to the improvement in anxiety and interpersonal conflict. The particular findings were also reflective of the role of partnership support and family involvement as critical factors in the case of impact of type 1 diabetes. Since type 1 diabetes is a common occurrence, research has been emphasized on the effects, symptoms and medications for the disease rather than focussing on the underlying detrimental consequences such as substance abuse, risky behaviour, eating disorders and social conflicts (Agarwal, et al., 2017). These factors are responsible for affecting the condition of young adults especially in terms of social inclusion thereby leading to detrimental consequences of mental distress, anxiety and depression.

The preventive measures would have to be primarily based on a policy which encompasses the contextual environment of young adults including their family and educational environment. The policy guidance should include prominent references towards integrating diabetes self management and routine engagement of young adults with daily tasks. The review also highlights the pitfalls in practice that are identified in the lack of translating qualitative research findings into developmental programs that could present substantial outcomes. The particular aspects that are identified in the review also include references to partner and family involvement as the most productive interventions as noted in the qualitative research findings (Ayling, et al., 2015).   

The strengths and limitations which could be identified in the work are the secondary analysis and lack of significantly quantitative data for addressing the concerns of research. The strength of the work presented here is vested in secondary analysis which has been carried out using the published research work of other authors regarding the impact of type 1 diabetes on young adults in UK. The work reflects on the psychosocial aspects related to type 1 diabetes that affects the condition of young adults. The considerable rise in the number of young adults affected with type 1 diabetes is responsible for the increasing complicacies such as distress, depression, anxiety, substance use and eating disorders.

The identification of particular themes identified in the literature could also be accounted as a major strength of the research work since it derives innovative aspects from the work that can provide opportunities for developing new theory (Barnard, et al., 2014). The recommendations for policy presented in the research work are also substantiated with reflections on the research papers selected for this research work. The thematic discussions are also reflective of the references to theoretical perspectives used in health and social care such as social constructionism, functionalism and social conflict. The element of social conflict was found to be relevant to the research findings as can be highlighted in the following sections.  

Strengths and Limitations

The weakness in the report could be explicitly identified in the lack of access to quantitative research regarding the psychosocial impacts of type 1 diabetes on young adults. The lack of ethnographic classifications suggesting a deeper reflection on the distribution of the impacts of type 1 diabetes according to the segments of race, gender and economic class could also be accounted as another critical gap for the research activity (Barnard, et al., 2014). The sole reliance on the limited number of papers for deeper and relevant insights also led to the limitations of addressing the research objective from different perspectives. However, the recommendations for future research could identify the variables that must be considered in order to obtain a clear impression of the impact of type 1 diabetes on the health condition of young adults.   

The selected question for this project is to determine the impacts of type 1 diabetes on young adults in UK. The question context can be described through explicit references to the reason for selection of the question, the significance of the question and its relevance to the domain of study in healthcare. The question context would also aim to illustrate the legal, theoretical and policy based backgrounds for the question alongside the practical issues that are inherent to the question (Buchberger, et al., 2016). First of all, the reason for selecting the question regarding impact of type 1 diabetes on young adults in UK could be identified from the facts pertaining to the severity of the disease and its detrimental outcomes on health of young individuals.

The dreaded impacts of type 1 diabetes could be identified in the form of approximately 400,000 individuals infected with the disease among which 29,000 are found to be children. The share of type 1 diabetes infected children is estimated at 97 percent among the diabetes infected children in England. It is also imperative to observe that UK is currently characterized by the highest rates of type 1 diabetes infected people in UK. It has also been found that approximately 90 percent of people that are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes do not have any form of family history with similar condition (Cai, et al., 2017). Therefore the severity of the disease can be assumed as a profound indication for selecting the question for this assignment.

The significance of the question can be apprehended in the concerns encountered by young adults having type 1 diabetes and the possibilities of preventive treatment through self-care approaches. The question demands specific attention due to the needs for presenting policy indications, resource development and activities at the grass roots and national levels. The necessity for higher psychosocial support could be identified especially in response to the formidable challenges encountered by young adults in dealing with type 1 diabetes. The consequences of type 1 diabetes in young adults could be recognized in the form of anger, avoidance, denial, sadness and rebellion owing to the presence of a life threatening disease which could lead to long term outcomes in the form of depression, irreversible health problems and long-term neglect (Cho, et al., 2017). Therefore, it is necessary for determining the significance of providing motivation and opportunities to young adults so that they can gain the required help and support prior to the consequences of reaching a crisis point. The impact of type 1 diabetes in young adults also varies across different age groups in adulthood which imply the references to formidable information and support needs, preferred communication channels and barriers for effective management of the disease.

Question Context

The early teens are characterized by specific information requirements for normalizing their experiences alongside taking responsibilities for self-care (Clery, et al., 2017). The barriers which could be identified in the case of early teens could be vested in lack of an understanding of diabetes. In the case of late teenagers, the notable information and support needs could be identified in the form of maintaining control and acquiring the services of an expert team of health professionals. The other factors which could be considered as barriers in the management of type 1 diabetes in young adults include relationships, moving out of home, leaving school as well as drugs and alcohol.

The barriers which could be outlined for effective management of type 1 diabetes could be identified in the form of consistent motivation, disruptions in routine as well as the feelings of depression and helplessness. Therefore the inferences drawn from this assignment could be utilized effectively for addressing the factors responsible for increasing the severity of the impact of type 1 diabetes on young adults in UK. The significance of the question could also be anticipated in identification of approaches for monitoring as well as coping strategies in context of type 1 diabetes in young adults in UK (Cooper, 2016).

The policy documentation and guidelines that could be identified in context of the impact of type 1 diabetes on young adults in UK refer to the NICE guideline NG18 that is intended for providing guidelines for management of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the case of children and young adults. The guideline is explicitly associated with the recommendations for strict targets regarding the levels of blood glucose and approaches for control that could lead to reduction of long term risks that are associated with diabetes (Dabelea, et al., 2017).  The National Service Framework for Diabetes presented by the government of UK which reflects the standards that should be implemented for identification of people with diabetes and clinical care of children and young adults diagnosed with diabetes.

The Standard 3 presented in context of the National Service Framework for Diabetes is reflective of the empowerment of people with diabetes to assume responsibilities for their personal care and self management in order to experience better quality of life. The standard 5 and standard 6 could be assumed as notable legal precedents so that special needs of young adults experiencing diabetes could be recognized and addressed.

The standards imply the provision of high quality care to all young adults that have type 1 diabetes alongside provision of ample support for accomplishing the objectives of optimizing control of blood glucose levels as well as development in the aspects of psychological, physical, social development, intellectual and educational development (Edwards, et al., 2014). The standard also implies that the young adults would be able to obtain flexible transition of diabetes services from hospitals or community based healthcare establishments.

The practice issues which are identified in the case of treatment of type 1 diabetes in young adults in UK could be identified in the form of the impact of social environment, peer influences, depression and complicacies arising from disordered eating. It is also essential to reflect profoundly on the lack of interventions as a leading source of practice issues in management of type 1 diabetes among young adults in UK. The notable interventions which could be able to resolve the practice issues encountered in case of treatment of type 1 diabetes in UK refer to family involvement, realistic approaches to eating, telephone support and extending the reach of the provider (Fullerton, et al., 2014).

The implications for qualitative research in healthcare studies have not been emphasized considerably albeit with the increasing prominence of the social and cultural dimensions. The use of a qualitative research methodology in healthcare studies enables the identification of opportunities for determining the meaning of different attitudes depicted by young adults affected with type 1 diabetes. Furthermore, the advantages of the qualitative research reflects on the possibilities for developing concepts that could help in comprehensive understanding of natural phenomena through comprehensive emphasis on the experiences, opinions and meanings of participants (Garvey, et al., 2014).

The use of secondary and tertiary analysis is perceived effectively as promising measures for research methodologies in the domain of healthcare. Secondary analysis could be ascertained through specific references towards the researcher’s responsibilities for conducting statistical analysis and their independence from any contact with the individuals whose data is examined (Hagger, et al., 2016). The objectives of secondary analysis used in the research could be addressed through references towards the sources such as clinical records, publicly available population level and individual level data and the private survey data.

Publicly available data could be considered as a significant contribution to the sharing of data in a cost efficient manner that could provide opportunities for obtaining productive information from the data sets. The advantages that could be obtained from the use of publicly available data imply towards the facilities for researchers to access cleaned data sets along with supporting documents without any direct costs (Hovorka, et al., 2014). The advantages of secondary analysis could be aptly leveraged by researchers with expertise in statistical skills with the conditions of limited time and resources for data collection. On the contrary, this methodology also presents certain limitations which could be identified in the form of the analyst’s obligation to exploring topics involved in the original survey without any option for reflecting on additional variables associated with the research topic.

The validity and reliability of the data obtained in secondary analysis could be subject to ambiguities thereby requiring appropriate standardization (Huxley, et al., 2015). Furthermore, the data collection process is also subject to dilemmas regarding the abilities of respondents alongside the risks related to duplicating the work of other researchers. Private data is also considered as a significant aspect of the  methodology in healthcare research which could be otherwise associated with the data that is available with research teams and individual research teams found at universities and healthcare facilities which have not be subjected to any form of analysis (Hynes, et al., 2016).

The private data implications could also be identified in the form of the contribution of the original researcher towards providing an avenue to a novel researcher for taking the lead on analysis of a specific portion of the data set that has been not analyzed thereby facilitating reasonable opportunities for publishing the completed research findings. On the other hand, it is also essential to note the limitations that can be identified in the form of inaccurate patient records. The clinical records are identified as a general source for data which could be obtained from individuals that are employed in clinical settings suggesting that the research project would be able to acquire relevant information and approvals according to government guidelines (Johnson, et al., 2013).

The three common approaches which could be used in the methodology for this research involve references to phenomenology, ethnography and grounded theory. The particular references towards ethnography and phenomenology are used in special cases while the commonly used approach is found in grounded theory. Grounded theory is capable of providing specific and commonly used approaches in social sciences to determine reasonable theory from the data provided. This could also provide grounds for analytical validity of the modifications in research methodology (Johnson, et al., 2014).

The approaches could be outlined in the form of distinct instruments that are used in qualitative research. Apart from the use of document analysis as highlighted in the previous section, the qualitative data collection approach also benefits highly from the instruments of observations and interviews. Phenomenology is considered as a feasible source of realizing qualitative research alongside determining its emphasis on comprehension of a specific phenomenon from a holistic perspective (Karges, et al., 2014). However, phenomenology has been subjected to various ambiguities especially in terms of its definition which can be considered as a philosophy, inquiry paradigm, qualitative research tradition, interpretive theory or a framework of research methodology.

The use of phenomenology would involve considering the perception of a specific phenomena by people in order to develop a worldview regarding the research issue. The crucial element involved in the phenomenology approach is the element of commonality perceived by the researcher alongside specific references towards the significance of meaning making as a significant attribute of human experience. The approach of phenomenology would also have to be characterized by the researcher’s initiative to exclude any presumptions from the scope of the research activity which helps in realizing the solutions to the research issue (Khanolkar, et al., 2016).

However, the ethnography approach for this research activity could be assumed as a significantly productive instrument for the researcher to investigate the function and structure of a group of people which would be apt for the research topic under concern. Structure could be identified in the similarities while functions in the case of ethnography are directed towards the impact of the similarity patterns on behaviour in the group (Lowes, et al., 2015). The outcomes of ethnographic studies provide viable indications towards illustrating a holistic impression of the social group i.e. young adults in UK alongside reflecting on the social and cultural aspects of the group thereby leading to perception of underlying factors that lead to escalation of the impacts of type 1 diabetes.

The research utilizes observation as a viable ethnographic research method especially with the increasing preferences for ethnographic research in medical and healthcare research (Maahs, et al., 2013). The complexities arising in the health of young adults with type 1 diabetes could be ascertained effectively from the use of ethnographic methodology with a comprehensive impression of the contextual environments in which the specific behaviours occur among young adults affected with type 1 diabetes. Short term ethnographic research has emerged as a prominent facility that can be implemented for observing the trends of health issues in the case of young adults affected with type 1 diabetes in UK.

The results obtained from the use of secondary analysis could be described profoundly through references to the details to the papers utilized in the research. The details would comprise of specific references towards the mention of country of origin, authors, sample size, population, dates, findings and methodology used in the research findings. The other essential elements that can be included in the results section imply references towards quality and relevance of the research papers to the research question under concern in this case dealing with the impact of type 1 diabetes on young adults in UK (MacMillan, et al., 2014). The level of detail in the papers considered for secondary analysis would also have to be presented in the results in a feasible approach thereby implying towards approaches necessary for presenting the relevant information.

The first paper to be reviewed is titled, “Type 1 Diabetes in Young Adulthood” authored by Maureen Monaghan, Deborah Wiebe and Vicki Helgeson with the origin of the paper in USA (Monaghan, Helgeson & Wiebe, 2015). The research paper highlights the chronic nature of type 1 diabetes especially in the case of children and emphasizes on the importance of developing as well as sustaining diabetes management skills.

Young adults could be able to realize this objective through specific references towards research that can present probable insights into the challenges encountered by young adults affected with diabetes while ageing into adulthood. Some of the notable challenges faced by young adults refer to the multiple transitions especially in terms of healthcare, lifestyle, friends, intimate relationships and family relationships (Mauras, et al., 2014). Therefore the paper was aimed at reviewing the specific evolving concerns for young adults affected with type 1 diabetes thereby leading to the inferences for interventions and future research required in this field.

The study presents a comprehensive impression of the existing estimates regarding the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in the United States with almost 3 million youth affected with the disease. The research identifies the limitations in terms of the failure of previous research activities to emphasize on addressing the needs of youth while transitioning to adulthood. Young adulthood is considered as a crucial period for individuals affected with type 1 diabetes which can be identified from the inferences citing the development of diabetes related complicacies in young adults affected with type 1 diabetes among 50% of young adults. Some of the notable complicacies are observed in the form of hypertension, retinopathy and neuropathy alongside the vulnerability of young adults with type 1 diabetes to risks of obesity that could lead to additional negative consequences for the health of young adults.

The cases of patients where type 1 diabetes is diagnosed in early childhood alongside prominent indications of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia suggest the possibilities of complications especially identified in attention and working memory. The paper considers the age of young adults within the range of 18-30 that reflects the developmental period of emerging adulthood according to Arnett (McAuley, et al., 2016). The review presented cognizable perspectives for challenges that emerge along with type 1 diabetes such as developmental challenges, evolving psychosocial concerns, supportive networks and healthcare system challenges.

The second paper reviewed for this research assignment is titled “Personal and Relationship Challenges of Adults with Type 1 Diabetes” which is primarily a qualitative focus group study (Trief et al., 2013). The authors of the paper are Paula M. Trief, Jonathan G. Sandberg, Ruth S. Weinstock, Patricia J. Forken and Jacqueline A. Dimmock. The objective of the paper was directed towards understanding the impact of type 1 diabetes on the psychological challenges experienced by young adults especially in terms of impact on partner relationships.

The methodology followed in the paper was through four focus group interviews associated profoundly with the questions related to the interpersonal and emotional challenges encountered by the respondents and the effect of the disease on the relationship of respondent with their partner (McDarbyc & Acerinie, 2014). The findings of the report were based on four significant domains which suggested variance of partner involvement albeit with prominent emphasis on concerns regarding hypoglycaemia as well as the potential complications and sources of conflict that contribute to the escalation of relationship stress. The particular themes that are associated with the results pertaining to the effect of type 1 diabetes include references to stress regarding potential complications, increasing benefits of technology, impact of diabetes on specific aspects of relationship such as emotional impact of diabetes, concerns regarding child rearing and level of partner involvement.

The conclusions of the study were profoundly reflective of the fact that adults affected with type 1 diabetes are liable to face interpersonal and emotional challenges alongside presenting indications towards the prospects for future research indicating towards gaining a comprehensive understanding of approaches followed by young adults to deal with the impact of psychosocial stressing agents and coping strategies on the quality of life, glycemic control and adherence to care (McKnight, et al., 2015).

The noticeable outcomes that could be anticipated from the paper regarding impact of type 1 diabetes on young adults in UK reflect on the impact of the significant anxiety related to hypoglycaemia alongside the evident fear of potential complications that could arise from the same on the relationships of young adults. The second aspect to be evaluated in context of the impact of type 1 diabetes on young adults suggests the changes in relationships as well as the needs in the relationship could vary comprehensively at different points of time. The uniqueness of relationships suggests that patients require an actively involved partner alongside the implications of being overwhelmed due to distress arising from diabetes. The second consequence that could be identified from the paper includes references towards assessment of the individuals in order to develop tailored intervention strategies relevant to the unique needs of the relationship (Misra, et al., 2017).

The third aspect reflects on the requirement from the young adults to identify their specific concerns. It is also essential to reflect on the potential outcomes such as the experiences of anxiety regarding long term health condition that could lead to complications in interpersonal behaviour. The relationship challenges for young adults with type 1 diabetes are also identified through references to the positive benefits for healthcare due to technology. Despite the positive benefits of technology, it has been observed that partner involvement in care is compromised thereby leading to prominent indications towards depreciation in level of perceived support.

The paper explored considerable details through reflecting on the individual elements of partnerships such as level of partner involvement which explain the degree of detail in the paper. However, the paper was also characterized with certain limitations such as limited opportunities for participants to express diverse perspectives regarding a single issue (Oram, et al., 2016). The groups are not diverse in nature thereby suggesting the indications towards including couples from varying levels of education and culture in order to acquire more comprehensive outcomes. Furthermore, the objective of the research paper was directed towards obtaining prospects for future research and generating ideas which can be considered as a passive approach to understanding the impact of type 1 diabetes on young adults and relationship as well as interpersonal challenges experienced by them.

The third paper which was reviewed for the context of this research assignment is titled, “Adherence challenges in the management of type 1 diabetes in adolescents: prevention and intervention” which is authored by Joshua S. Borus and Lori Laffel (Borus & Laffel,  2010). The research was inclined towards understanding the reasons for the limited adherence of young adults to the treatment approaches for type 1 diabetes despite the availability of effective therapies.

The primary aim is directed towards identifying the factors that cause young adults to refrain from adhering to the treatment programs and therapeutic facilities alongside the plausible interventions that could work effectively in this case (Patterson, et al., 2014). The review highlighted in the paper was reflective of the barriers to young adult adherence followed by discussion on the recent attempts for addressing the problems through references to the promising work in the field. The barriers which were identified in the paper include peer influence and social pressure. The research findings suggested that the influence of friends is encouraging for behaviours such as complying with dietary regulations and timeframes for sugar monitoring. Furthermore, the paper was also reflective of potential emphasis on the reason of social exclusion due to their conditions as the reason for young adults to adhere to their treatment regimen. Hence interpersonal conflicts are identified as the prominent reason for young adults refraining from self care in case of type 1 diabetes.

The dimension of affect can be considered as a major reason for negative influence on metabolic control in people with diabetes. The lack of adherence to medication is also associated with the daily changes in perceiving the affect alongside the perceived task competences required for diabetes. Stress could be identified as another conclusive factor that influences the negative affect thereby leading to higher blood glucose levels. Therefore the paper reflected on the implications of intrinsic challenges in the developmental stage of an individual as well as the demands for peer normalcy which create limitations in adherence of young adults to treatment of type 1 diabetes. Hence the interventions which could be applied in this case should be characterized by features that would restrict the emotional and cognitive barriers alongside the comprehensive involvement of family in management of diabetes (Zipitis, Mughal & Clayton, 2016).

The findings from the research papers reviewed for this assignment reflect on the themes of social constuctionism, functionalism and social conflict theory. The thematic discussion on the results could be presented on the basis of the themes that can be identified from the literature in relevance to the research question under concern. The discussion would also comprise of particular references towards the major themes and their relevance to the findings alongside illustrating the contextual issues identified earlier. The implications of the findings for development of future research, policy, theory and practice could also be highlighted as an essential element of the discussion (Payk, et al., 2017).

Social constructionism is a notable theoretical paradigm that has been utilized in healthcare sector thereby implying formidable indications towards observation of different research findings in the research studies. The application of this theory is directed towards the perception of reality and knowledge as outcomes of thinking of an individual as well as their conceptualization of events alongside their relationship to the society. It is inevitable to concentrate on the mandatory implications in the theory towards the multiple perspectives for analysis and interpretation of social realities (Peacock, et al., 2016). The references to the research findings also suggest that the adherence of young adults suffering from type 1 diabetes could be affected their perception of social environment that defines the validity of social constructionism. Therefore the observation of peer influence and lack of perceived support from partners and family members identified in the research findings direct towards the theme of social constuctonism as patients form their own perceptions based on lived experiences.

The references to the condition of type 1 diabetes affected young adults as well the developmental challenges could be reviewed from the thematic perspective of Marxism wherein the individual has to be responsible for their own care irrespective of the intrinsic developmental challenges (Pouwer, Nefs & Nouwen, 2013). The emphasis on self-care is identified as major research findings that could contribute to the improvement of conditions of young adults experiencing type 1 diabetes. The specific themes which are identified in the context of social conflict also reflect profoundly on design of technological means for addressing the conditions of type 1 diabetes. Even though the technological benefits facilitate easy and flexible healthcare facilities for young adults it also creates complicacies in terms of interpersonal and relationship challenges thereby creating complicacies in self-care. The prominent challenges which could be inferred from the complicacies can extend to different aspects such as limited performance of interventions (Powell, et al., 2013).

The interventions such as family involvement could be insufficient in terms of performance due to the inappropriateness of perceived support. The behavioural interventions could not prove to be effective especially in presence of a negative perception of the patient regarding diabetes care. The success of family interventions could be realized effectively only through the distinct aspects such as understanding, skills and support from family members which cannot be identified in the case of refraining attitude of young adults. Motivational interviewing has been identified as a notable intervention through a reflection on the conditions of young adults with type 1 diabetes (Price, et al., 2013).

The refraining attitude of patients suffering from type 1 diabetes could also be attributed as a noticeable pitfall for the behavioural change that is the objective of the motivational interviews. The behavioural change could not be realized effectively by coercing the patient and can be effectively realized only through specific references towards reducing the discrepancy between reality and perception thereby leading to the patients adjusting to change in accordance with their specific reasons (Quirk, et al., 2014).

The research findings also reflected on another major theme which reflects on the factors that are observed inherently in the developmental stages thereby leading to complicated conditions of the type 1 diabetes in young adults. The period of age for young adults is considered as a critical aspect in every individual’s life and is associated with major complicacies that must be addressed with utmost concern (Wilkie, et al., 2017). The discussion on specific factors that lead to complicacies can be observed from the results. The period for young adulthood is generally associated with varying requirements that range from moving out of home, financial independence from parents and searching for intimate relationships with romantic partners.

The key developmental tasks could be found as major determinants of proliferation of increasing type 1 diabetes occurrence in young adults are living situations, employment and education. The aspect of education in the case of young adults could be identified in the occurrence of type 1 diabetes commonly in colleges (Riddell, et al., 2017).

The college routines which demand considerable changes from the students to manage schedules, changes in diet, evolution of relationships with parents and peers, peer pressure of engaging in alcoholism or drug intake as well as changes in physical activity routines can lead to risks for type 1 diabetes. Furthermore there have been indications towards the impact of diabetes on the decisions of young adults to move out of their homes albeit illustration of independence of the living situation from occurrence of diabetes is also recognized profoundly in literature. However, prior to living in independent conditions an individual must understand the abilities and acquire confidence for diabetes management from a family level to individual level.

Living situation is considerably associated with references towards increasing speed of transition to adult medical care thereby requiring young adults to involve in local healthcare services for diabetes while transitioning to new locations. Employment considerations should also be considered as a major theme for explaining the critical nature of type 1 diabetes in young adults (Sandahl, et al., 2017). The individuals with type 1 diabetes are more likely to experience mental stress regarding abilities to cope with employment options. It is also imperative to observe that young adults with type 1 diabetes could be subject to lower levels of employment especially in terms of higher absenteeism.

The application of the theme of barriers to adherence of young adults to treatment regimens for type 1 diabetes could also be discussed in this section to present recommendations for future research (Visekruna, et al., 2017). The foremost barrier that is observed in the case of adherence to treatment guidelines for type 1 diabetes in young adults is interpersonal conflict. The interpersonal conflict can be derived from various sources and the most common aspect which is highlighted in this context refers to the apprehension of patients regarding social involvement. Young adults generally perceive that their treatment guidelines could mean social exclusion thereby implying social pressure which leads them to discontinue treatment. The role of anxiety in this case could be presented as a formidable highlight of the discussion wherein social situations are also considered as vital influences (Semenkovich, et al., 2016).

The concerns of young adults regarding social exclusion lead them to refraining from self care despite potential knowledge regarding type 1 diabetes. One of the specific indications that can be presented in this thematic discussion also include references towards a cognitive behavioural therapy that could help young adults in coping with the stress of diabetes care management in social situations. The implementation of training for coping skills in individuals could be associated with prolific outcomes especially in terms of managing situations with friends and related conflicts. Other productive implications that can be identified with respect to the implementation of coping skills training are observed in the limitation of barriers for self-care (Sturt, et al., 2015).

The recommendations for future policy developments can be directed towards individualization of support for students affected with type 1 diabetes. The guiding principle for the policy developments in order to address the concerns of type 1 diabetes in young adults in UK should be based on the consideration of cases as special as necessary.

The principle should be liable for fostering the aspects of personal independence, appropriateness with student age, diabetes self-care and management as well as the stage of development of the young adults in UK (Sheehan, While & Coyne, 2015). Since the primary cause of stress in type 1 diabetes patients has been attributed to hypoglycaemia, the necessary interventions that should be supported by policy would include regular scheduling of meals, adjusting food intake, supervision of diet plan and adjustments in insulin intakes according to the level of physical activity (Spencer, Cooper & Milton, 2013). The requirements of support from the academic institutions could also be included in the policy statement so that young adults with type 1 diabetes are not socially excluded that could have otherwise led to complex interpersonal conflicts and anxiety issues. The attendance incentive programs could be assumed as a credible example of policy modification contributing to the situation of young adults with type 1 diabetes in UK.

The productive outcomes reflect on the motivation of students to attend college thereby increasing their efforts towards diabetes self-management and care (Sherr, et al., 2016). Another prolific recommendation that can be presented in this context reflects profoundly on minimal distraction of young adults from their daily routine of activities. Other recommendations would be directed towards including prospects for improved engagement of young adults in the speciality healthcare system which could be supported by improved communication during the healthcare transition process (Song, 2015).

Conclusion

The impact of type 1 diabetes on young adults could be perceived from the findings and discussions highlighted in this research activity. The impact of type 1 diabetes in young adults is found to be increasing in UK especially with particular references towards the detrimental impact of anxiety and social pressure that complicate the situation. The particular factor which can be considered as a major influence on treatment of type 1 diabetes in young adults is interpersonal conflict that is the resultant of the apprehensions of young adults. The involvement of young adults in social situations is generally hampered by the concerns of social exclusion.

Young adults especially in colleges are generally apprehensive of taking diabetes medications or following the necessary dietary guidelines due to social pressure. The primary concerns of young adults in UK could be identified in the fitting in the social framework of their friends and develop a social circle. This could be hampered by their activities of diabetes self management which leads them to refrain from self care that complicates their condition especially in higher glycemic levels.

The conditions of hypoglycaemia could build up to mental stress and anxiety that leads to conflicts and thus social exclusion. Therefore it is necessary for students to understand that friends encourage the behaviour of diabetes self-care and research studies validate the fact that other students are supportive of self treatment plans. However, the research question reflects on the majority of research literature which is directed towards the physical symptoms, conditions and treatment approaches. There has been limited research pertaining to the underlying psychosocial factors that lead to complicacies in the health conditions of young adults with type 1 diabetes. Therefore the research aimed at reflecting on the intrinsic elements of developmental stages of an individual as well as the aspects of relationship challenges in order to describe the impact of type 1 diabetes on the mental health of young adults. Furthermore, it is also essential to consider the fact that young adults experience a troublesome period in their life which is associated with formidable competences. The research also found out the integration of diabetes care behaviour in young adults could lead to promising implications for long term behaviours of self care and diabetes management. However, the formidable setback in the contemporary scenario is identified in the inabilities for translating the qualitative and descriptive findings into targeted programs for development of young adults with type 1 diabetes in UK.

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