Youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) must adhere to a complex treatment regimen to prevent health complications. Friends may provide diabetes-specific support to help youth manage diabetes, but evidence on whether youth benefit from diabetes-specific friend support is inconclusive. The present study first investigated whether satisfaction with friend support was linked to psychological distress and diabetes management. Second, it was investigated whether self-esteem mediated these relations. To this end, 324 Dutch-speaking emerging adults (17–28 years) with T1D completed questionnaires on diabetes-specific friend support, self-esteem, diabetes-specific distress, depressive symptoms, and self-care. HbA1c values were obtained from patients’ physicians. Receiving diabetes-specific support from friends was associated with more diabetes-specific distress, but not for youth who were satisfied with the received support. Diabetes-specific friend support was not associated with other outcomes. Self-esteem did not mediate these relations. These results suggest that associations between diabetes-specific friend support and diabetes management are limited and that support satisfaction should be taken into consideration when examining the role of friend support for youth with T1D.

患有1型糖尿病（T1D）的年轻人必须遵守复杂的治疗方案，以预防健康并发症。朋友可能会提供针对糖尿病的特定支持来帮助青少年控制糖尿病，但是关于青少年是否能从针对糖尿病的特定朋友支持中受益的证据尚无定论。本研究首先调查了对朋友支持的满意是否与心理困扰和糖尿病管理有关。其次，调查了自尊是否介导了这些关系。为此，有324位讲T1D的荷兰语新兴成年人（17-28岁）完成了有关糖尿病特定的朋友支持，自尊，糖尿病特定的困扰，抑郁症状和自我保健的问卷调查。HbA1c值是从患者的医生那里获得的。从朋友那里获得针对糖尿病的支持与更多针对糖尿病的困扰有关，但不适用于对获得的支持感到满意的年轻人。特定于糖尿病的朋友支持与其他结果无关。自尊心并未调解这些关系。这些结果表明，特定于糖尿病的朋友支持与糖尿病管理之间的关联是有限的，并且在检查朋友支持对T1D青年的作用时应考虑支持满意度。