Mindfulness program to help mood and diabetes care in young people with Type 1 diabetes

Pragmatic Clinic-Based Trial of a Mindfulness Based Intervention for Mood Concerns in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes

NIH-funded research Children's Research Institute · NIH-11184355

This offers a short, clinic-based group mindfulness program to help teens and young people with Type 1 diabetes manage mood, stress, and daily diabetes care.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionChildren's Research Institute NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Washington, United States)
Project IDNIH-11184355 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would be invited to join a 7-week, clinic-based group program adapted for young people with Type 1 diabetes that teaches mindfulness skills for handling stress and strong emotions. Groups are based on the Learning to BREATHE model and compared with a health-education program to see which helps most with mood and diabetes routines. The study tracks mood symptoms, diabetes treatment adherence, eating behaviors, and blood sugar control over time. The team previously ran a pilot that showed the program is acceptable and can be delivered in clinic settings.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents and young people with Type 1 diabetes who are experiencing anxiety, depression, or trouble keeping up with daily diabetes care.

Not a fit: Children without mood or adherence problems, very young children who cannot participate in group sessions, or people needing more intensive psychiatric care may not benefit from this program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the program could ease anxiety and depression, improve daily diabetes self-care, and help with blood sugar control in young people with T1D.

How similar studies have performed: Previous mindfulness programs for adolescents and for people with chronic illnesses have shown promise for reducing stress and improving wellbeing, and a pilot of this adapted program showed feasibility, but evidence for clear effects on blood sugar is still limited.

Where this research is happening

Washington, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.