Fear of hypoglycemia in children and adolescents with diabetes

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between fear of hypoglycemia and metabolic control in children and adolescents with diabetes. The following questions were asked: Do children and adolescents with diabetes that have experienced severe hypoglycemia have a greater fear of hypoglycemia than those who have not, and what are the relationships among fear of hypoglycemia, behaviors to prevent hypoglycemia, individual characteristics, and metabolic control.;Sampling 51 children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes, fear of hypoglycemia was not statistically related to behaviors to prevent hypoglycemia, metabolic control, or individual characteristics. Subjects that have experienced a severe hypoglycemic event resulting in passing out did have a greater fear of hypoglycemia (p = .00). An exploratory analysis yielded a significant relationship between having the experience of a severe hypoglycemic event resulting in passing out and length of time since diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes (r = .498, p = .00).