Age Differences in Reactivity to Daily General and Type 1 Diabetes Stressors

Older adults often report less exposure to and less affective reactions to daily stressors. However, older adults with a chronic illness such as Type 1 diabetes may experience more daily stressors due to the complications of diabetes and may be more affected by those stressors. The study examined (a) age differences in reported exposure to general and diabetes stressors, (b) whether daily general and diabetes stressors relate to daily positive and negative affect, self-care, and blood glucose, and (c) whether these daily associations are moderated by age and comorbidity. Individuals with Type 1 diabetes (n = 199; 52.3% female, average age 46.81 years) completed a checklist for 14 days reporting general and diabetes stressors. General diabetes distress was assessed with the Diabetes Distress Scale. Daily positive and negative affect and daily self-care behaviors were rated each day. Blood glucose was assessed via glucometers. Older adults reported fewer daily general and diabetes stressors and less diabetes distress compared to younger adults. Multilevel models indicated that both daily general and diabetes stressors (between- and within-person) were associated with lower positive and higher negative affect. Fewer diabetes stressors were associated with better self-care and lower (better) mean blood glucose. Neither age nor comorbidity interacted with general or diabetes stressors to predict any outcome (except one effect for comorbidity), indicating that older adults and those experiencing more comorbid conditions were similarly affected by stressors. Results suggest that older adults experience fewer stressors than younger adults but are similarly affected when stressors do occur.