Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic illnesses among children. While some studies indicate that children and adolescents adapt well to the self-care demands of diabetes, other evidence indicates that adolescents with diabetes may be at increased risk for psychological disorders or psychological distress when compared to healthy peers. In the current study, we will follow eighty adolescents with diabetes as they undergo the transition to a college environment. We expect the transition to the college environment, a time of rapid change in the social environment as well as a new level of independence in diabetes care, to place young adults at risk for increased psychological distress, poor self-care behavior and poor metabolic control. We expect that the transition to college will lead to an increase in the """"""""spotlight effect,"""""""" the idea that others are paying attention to your actions or appearance, which may lead young adults to perceive social situations as barriers to self-care behavior. We suspect that these factors will lead both to increased psychological distress and poor self-care behavior. However, we expect that two personal characteristics, self-efficacy and self-esteem, may act as potential buffers of the negative impact of the spotlight effect on distress and self-care behavior. Adolescents will be enrolled in the study before attending college and will be followed over their first year. ? ?
