Learning Objective #1: Discuss effects of being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on at least two developmental tasks of young adulthood

Learning Objective #2: List at least two areas for future research related to the findings in this study

---

ABSTRACT The poster Balancing Type 1 Diabetes With the Developmental Tasks of Young Adulthood is a sharing in part of the qualitative phenomenologic study The Lived Experience of Being A Young Adult With Type 1 Diabetes. Of particular interest in the poster presentation is the response of the nine participants to the research question “How do young adults balance having type 1 diabetes with the developmental tasks of this life phase?” The developmental tasks of young adulthood were identified using Erikson's stage of late adolescence in the transition to young adulthood, Identity Vs. Identity Diffusion, and Daniel Levinson's theoretical model of young adult development. Developmental tasks identified by Levinson included: pursuing a dream, establishing mentor relationships, developing a career, and forming a marriage and family. The poster demonstrates how being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes complicated negotiation of every young adult developmental task and how the pattern Living With Diabetes emerged as a compilation of six themes. The themes included: Loss of Normal, Always Foreground, Avoiding Complications, Diabetes is Expensive, Wanting a Vacation, and Hope is Tied To Research. Suggestions for nursing interventions and recommendations for further research will be included in the presentation. The purpose of the presentation is to share the participants' experience with nurses in the hope of creating a better understanding of the experience, stimulating thinking about the delivery of nursing care to these clients, and encouraging further nursing research in this area.