LAUSR

BACKGROUND Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 is a chronic metabolic disorder the treatment of which extremely burdens the patient. The lockdown, as a measure to prevent the spreading of the 2019 corona virus disease, was a major challenge for the general public. People with chronic diseases, such as T1D patients, have complex emotional and psychological needs and are at increased risk for both depressive symptoms and anxiety. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of body mass index of T1D patients on the psychological symptoms and eating habits, as well as the prognostic factors of the psychological symptoms during the lockdown period. METHOD Diabetes mellitus patients were invited to complete this survey from the outpatient Diabetes clinic of the General Hospital of Chania and the "AHEPA" General University Hospital of Thessaloniki in Greece. Psychological symptoms were assessed using the DASS-42 questionnaire and eating habits were assessed using the EAT-26 questionnaire. RESULTS Overall, 112 T1D patients were analyzed (response rate: 28.8%). Obese T1D patients appear to be at greater risk of developing psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Furthermore, disordered eating behaviors and bulimia and food preoccupation subscale were associated with psychological symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggested that obese T1D patients are at greater risk of developing psychological symptoms and an eating disorder is being triggered to reduce the negative psychological symptoms. The results of this study may guide targeted interventions among T1D patients.