| Summary: | This longitudinal study examined how type 1 diabetes shapes bodily experiences in emerging adults through the lens of embodiment (Piran, 2016). Using variable-centered and person-centered approaches, the study investigated how embodiment develops across emerging adulthood and how it relates to illness identity, self-reported diabetes management, HbA1c levels, and diabetes distress over time. All participants have T1D and were between 20 and 32 years old (baseline: N = 241; M age = 25.85; SD age = 3.28; 65% female). Data were collected across three timepoints. First, latent growth curve modeling showed that embodiment generally remained stable throughout emerging adulthood. Additionally, latent class growth analysis identified three distinct developmental trajectory classes – high, moderate, and low embodiment – highlighting meaningful interindividual differences. Second, multigroup latent growth curve modeling revealed significant differences over time among youth in these embodiment classes in key markers of diabetes-related functioning, including the illness identity dimensions (Oris et al., 2016), self-reported diabetes management, HbA1c levels, and diabetes distress. Individuals in the high embodiment class were more likely to accept diabetes as part of their identity, to feel personally enriched rather than engulfed by their diabetes, and were less prone to rejecting the illness as incompatible with their sense of self than those in the moderate and/or low class(es). They also reported more diabetes management, demonstrated better HbA1c levels, and experienced less diabetes distress. These findings underscore the significance of embodiment in understanding the lived experience of patients with T1D. Clinicians should integrate these bodily experiences into a holistic approach to diabetes care, aiming to promote daily well-being. • Embodiment was generally stable during emerging adulthood in young adults with T1D. • Three trajectory classes showed individual differences: high, moderate, low embodiment. • Classes differed in illness identity, diabetes management, HbA1c, and distress. • High embodiment was associated with more positive aspects of illness. • Embodiment is important for research and clinical care in emerging adults with T1D.
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