Introduction

Psychological distress and fatigue are common in persons with diabetes, adversely affecting quality of life and complicating diabetes self-management. Offering diabetes-specific self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may be helpful for persons with diabetes and mild symptoms of psychological distress and fatigue. We are the first to test the feasibility and user experiences of a web-based self-help app called ‘MyDiaMate’ in adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Methods and materials

MyDiaMate was developed in close collaboration with persons with diabetes and professionals, building on elements from existing (guided) diabetes-specific CBT interventions. The study was advertised, offering free access to the app for adults with diabetes for a period of three months. Feasibility and user experiences were tested in a non-randomized study with pre- and post- measurements and interviews in a small sample.. In addition usage of the app was studied using log-data..

Results

In total N = 55 adults with diabetes signed up for the study. Mean age was M = 42.7 (SD = 15.6), mostly women (n = 39, 70.9%), higher educated (n = 36, 65.5%), and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (n = 37, 67.3%). About half reported current or a history of psychological complaints. All the participants completed baseline assessments, and n = 32 participants (58%) completed the follow-up questionnaire. Main reasons for participating in the study were: to preserve or improve mental fitness (40.6%), curiosity (25.0%) and wanting to contribute to research (34.4%). No major technical issues were encountered in accessing or using the app. The app was opened at least once by n = 51 participants, median use of the modules was 28 min (1–80) within a period of 1 to 92 days (median = 10). Almost all participants (n = 50, 98.0%) opened the basic module ‘Diabetes in balance’, of whom 32 (62.7%) completed this module. ‘My mood’ and ‘My energy’ were opened by n = 40 (78.4%) and n = 32 (62.7%) participants, respectively, and completed by n = 21 (52.5%) and n = 9 (28.1%) of the participants. Of all participants, 40.6% would recommend the app to others living with diabetes.

Conclusions

This study confirmed the feasibility of MyDiaMate as a diabetes-specific self-guided app for adults wishing to preserve or improve their psychological health. While user experiences were overall positive, further tailoring the content to individual needs and preferences could enhance uptake, usage and appreciation. Future research should explore its effectiveness in a randomized controlled trial.

中文翻译：

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无引导的网络自助应用程序“MyDiaMate”的可行性和用户体验，旨在预防和减少成人糖尿病患者的心理困扰和疲劳

 介绍

心理困扰和疲劳在糖尿病患者中很常见，这对生活质量产生不利影响，并使糖尿病自我管理变得复杂。提供针对糖尿病的自我引导认知行为疗法 (CBT) 可能对患有轻度心理困扰和疲劳症状的糖尿病患者有所帮助。我们是第一个在 1 型和 2 型糖尿病成人中测试名为“MyDiaMate”的网络自助应用程序的可行性和用户体验的公司。

 方法和材料

MyDiaMate 是与糖尿病患者和专业人士密切合作开发的，以现有（指导）糖尿病特异性 CBT 干预措施的要素为基础。该研究进行了广告宣传，为患有糖尿病的成年人提供为期三个月的免费使用该应用程序的机会。在一项非随机研究中测试了可行性和用户体验，并在小样本中进行了前后测量和访谈。此外，还使用日志数据研究了应用程序的使用情况。

 结果

共有N = 55 名患有糖尿病的成年人报名参加了这项研究。平均年龄为 M = 42.7 (SD = 15.6)，大多数为女性 ( n = 39, 70.9%)，受过高等教育 ( n = 36, 65.5%)，并被诊断患有 1 型糖尿病 ( n = 37, 67.3%)。大约一半的人报告了当前或历史上的心理疾病。所有参与者均完成了基线评估， n = 32 名参与者 (58%) 完成了后续调查问卷。参与研究的主要原因是：保持或改善心理健康（40.6%）、好奇心（25.0%）和希望为研究做出贡献（34.4%）。访问或使用该应用程序时未遇到重大技术问题。 n = 51 名参与者至少打开该应用程序一次，在 1 至 92 天内使用模块的中位数为 28 分钟 (1-80)（中位数 = 10）。几乎所有参与者（ n = 50，98.0%）都打开了基本模块“平衡糖尿病”，其中 32 人（62.7%）完成了该模块。 “我的心情”和“我的能量”分别由n = 40 (78.4%) 和n = 32 (62.7%) 的参与者打开，并由n = 21 (52.5%) 和n = 9 (28.1%) 的参与者完成。参与者。在所有参与者中，40.6% 的人会向其他糖尿病患者推荐该应用程序。

 结论

这项研究证实了 MyDiaMate 作为一款糖尿病专用自助应用程序的可行性，适用于希望保持或改善心理健康的成年人。虽然用户体验总体上是积极的，但根据个人需求和偏好进一步定制内容可以提高吸收、使用和欣赏。未来的研究应该在随机对照试验中探讨其有效性。