Abstract
Psychological concerns are common among patients with diabetes and contribute to difficulties with diabetes management and negative health outcomes. Routine psychosocial screening is an important tool to identify patients with diabetes that would benefit from mental health services, but screening procedures have yet to be widely implemented in diabetes care and are notably absent in adult compared to pediatric diabetes care settings. This three-study project aimed to understand key issues related to the implementation of psychosocial screening and referral procedures within both pediatric and adult diabetes specialty care. Diffusion of Innovations Theory guided the first two studies, which were qualitative in nature and focused on stakeholder (i.e., patients, providers) perspectives regarding the role of mental health within diabetes care, psychosocial screening procedures, and preferences related to psychosocial support for patients. The third study was based in the Theory of Planned Behavior and assessed how parents’ attitudes, beliefs related to stigma and the role of mental health within diabetes care, and perceived behavioral control contributed to their behavioral intentions to seek professional psychological support for their adolescent with diabetes, as well as how various background characteristics influenced these factors.