Prevalence and Determinant Factors of Diabetes Distress in Community‑Dwelling Elderly in Qom, Iran

Diabetes distress (DD) is common among the patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but few studies investigated this problem and its related factors in the elderly population. This study has focused on the prevalence rate of DD and its determinants in community‑dwelling elderly in Qom, Iran.

This study was cross‑sectional. A total of 519 subjects community‑dwelling with T2D participated in the study. Collected data contained sociodemographic information, some clinical variables (body mass index and duration of diabetes) knowledge, attitude, and self‑efficacy. Participants’ distress was measured via diabetes distress scale (DDS). The cut of 3 (≥3) was considered as the presence of distress. Also, the attitude, self‑efficacy, and knowledge about diabetes were measured by questioner. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to detect predictors of DD.

The mean age of the participants was 68.38 ± 6.78 and 53.6% were female. Among the participants, 48.6% were identified with positive DD. According to the results of logistic regression analysis, being female (odds ration [OR] = 1.688, P = 0.009), being widowed or divorced (OR = 1.629, P = 0.027), being over‑weight or obese (OR = 1.627, P = 0.027), and having less than 10 years in disease duration (OR = 1.721, P = 0.029), attitude (OR = 0.590, P < 0.001), and self‑efficacy (OR = 0.658, P = 0.009) were identified as the independent predictors of DD. No significant association was found between DD and age, occupational status, education level, and knowledge (P > 0.05).

The prevalence of DD is considerable among the elderly in Qom. It seems that more attention should be paid to the mental aspects of the patients with T2D specially in high risk groups.