Bond and associates investigated the impact of a 6-month Web-based intervention on the psychosocial well-being of older adults with diabetes. The study was a randomized controlled trial (N = 62) comparing the effects of a 6-month Web-based intervention plus usual care with usual care alone among adults aged 60 years or older with diabetes. The outcomes included quality of life, depression, social support, and self-efficacy. The intervention group showed significant improvement, F(4.48) = 4.03 P = .007, when compared with the control group on measures of depression, quality of life, social support, and self-efficacy when controlling for all baseline outcome variables (age, gender, and number of years with diabetes).

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU AS A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER: The authors concluded that the findings provide support that a Web-based intervention is effective in improving the psychosocial well being of participants at a 6-month follow-up.

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU AS A PATIENT: Future research needs to investigate the long-term effectiveness of Web-based interventions for sustaining psychosocial well-being, including factors that may affect quality of life, such as diabetes-specific beliefs, attitudes, social support, and disease-specific coping skills. It is hoped that the investigators can gather follow-up data for at least two years.

GE Bond et al. The Effects of a Web-Based Intervention on Psychosocial Well-Being Among Adults Aged 60 and Older With Diabetes: A Randomized Trial. Diabetes Education, April 7, 2010.